This Wreckage

&y & &ers celebrate weed's birthday with our annual reading of "Wally B" (Walter Benjamin)!
This year, we read Leon Wieseltier's weasel-tier preface to Benjamin's Illuminations, then "Unpacking My Library" and a section of Berlin Childhood.
For the full episode, subscribe at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage & listen to the end for a story of Anders' Benjamin-inspired direct action against Rahm Emmanuel.
Song: Eminem - Cleanin' Out My Closet (Slowed)

NEWS EP! Andy is a bestseller. Sean becomes a Luddite Gnome. Orbon is Or-gone. Situation monitoring Hormuz, and looking back at the Suez crisis.
In the bonus we discuss AI-generated Iranian propaganda. To hear that, support the show at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage

Metropolitans B&N event with Noah Kulwin: https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780062206054-0
‘Summer of Ludd’ https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/style/lamp-club-luddites.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
Orban Loss: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/us/politics/orban-trump-maga.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
Audio of Iranian warning that scared away US Navy warship https://x.com/eternalphysics/status/2043309125572936047?s=46
Suez and Iran by Niall Ferguson https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/america-suez-crisis-trump-presidency-world-order-iran-cqrfs86z0
Central banks sell US Treasuries in wake of Iran war: https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/6fac51c8-b650-48d4-82eb-e6e66f75dd2fForeign

Iran plans permanent changes to world economy https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/04/10/766586/why-no-matter-can-undermine-iran-eternal-dominance-over-strait-hormuz

Catching up with Molly Crabapple about Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund, available TODAY!!
See also Molly's "My Great Grandfather was a Bundist" in New York Review of Books
Support the show / get bonus content at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage
Song: New Yiddish Chorale/Workers Circle Chorus feat. Adrienne Cooper - Barikadn (Barricades)

Sean and Varn are joined (eventually) by Henry Wallis, official France correspondent of This Wreckage and Varn Vlog, to talk about upcoming elections on the commune level and France Unbowed's plan to grow from municipal power to a mass political movement.
Beforehand we had a brief discussion of the economic fallout from the Iran war which has subsequently went into a tentative two-week ceasefire.
For access to this and all our bonus content become a supporter at www.patreon.com/thiswreckage
For the video of this episode and lots of great educational material become a supporter of C. Derick Varn over at VarnVlog
You can support Henry's work over at the excellent magazine https://newint.org/

Everybody preorder Metropolitans now!!!!
One of the longest and weirdest baseball books ever written, METROPOLITANS is a marxist history of America’s pastime in which the Mets serve a messianic main character.
Check out this excerpt, this interview, or this Adam Gopnik New Yorker review.
PREORDER from Penguin, Bookshop.org, Amazon and/or find me at one of the following launch events:
April 1: Official book launch! w/ Bradford William Davis at Powerhouse Arena in DUMBO, Brooklyn (Ticketing information: https://powerhousearena.com/events/book-launch-metropolitans-by-a-m-gittlitz/)
April 3: Release celebration at Lou’s Athletic Club in Bushwick more info: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWPKFCQCp5r/
April 4: Tabling with Books and Rooks at Ft. Green Farmer’s Market around 11am April 12: Paper Moon in Troy, NY April 13: B&N in Albany
April 16: B&N Brooklyn with Noah Kulwin! https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780062206054-0
April 20: B&N in Carle's place LI with Greg Prince
April 27: B&N in Paramus, NJ April
30 Mets vs. Yankees debate at Le Pere on 90 Orchard St., moderated by Mattie Lubchansky!

More info will be posted at Astra House’s IG

Monologue adapted from Jean Shepard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz0pnq3ijfs

Tipping Pitches: https://tippingpitch.es/
Go to Greenpoint/Williamsburg/Bushwick/Ridgewood History nights: https://www.instagram.com/gphistorynight/

Songs: The Strokes - Ode to the Mets
The 1986 Mets - Get Metsmerized