VeganFreak Radio Vegan and Animal Rights Podcast

FAIL

veganfreak — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:49:00 -0700

So, yeah, I know we said we would do a show this week but it looks like it’s not going to happen. (We really need to stop making promises we can’t keep!) We had to take Emmy to the vet today (she’s fine, it’s nothing serious) and other things just caught up with us. We hope to get one in late next week or early the week after. Until then!

95: Gary Francione Interview, Part 2

veganfreak — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:47:00 -0700

This week, we continue our interview Professor Gary L. Francione on the occasion of the publication of his new book, Animals as Persons: Essays on the Abolition of Animal Exploitation.

Please note that this is the second half of a longer interview. The first half is available in show #94.

File Download (56:08 min / 45 MB)

94: Gary Francione Interview, Part 1

veganfreak — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:45:00 -0700

This week, we interview Professor Gary L. Francione on the occasion of the publication of his new book, Animals as Persons: Essays on the Abolition of Animal Exploitation. As Bob wrote in his pre-press quote about the book:

“Francione’s searing and insightful theoretical vision shines through in this key work that extends and deepens the substantive area of inquiry in abolitionist animal stuies that he has singlehandedly created. Part iconoclast, part theorist, and part activist, Francione is unafraid to upend conventional theoretical and practical approaches to our treatment of animals in his analytical rigor. This volume will remain a central work in animal studies for years to come.”

On the show this week, we talk with Gary about his new book, the state of the animal rights movement, and more. Because our interview with Gary ran a bit long, we’ve decided to split it into two parts. Part one will run starting today, and the remainder will be released next week.

This is an interview not to be missed!

Buy Francione's New Book :: ...at a 50% discount

File Download (57:42 min / 46 MB)

93: Killing Chickens is a Victory?

veganfreak — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:10:00 -0700

Sorry about the brief hiatus – as we explain during the show, things really were as they used to be around here – we were without power and internet for a few days. The picture above should give you a sense of how bad it was: that was taken right down the street from our house. (You can find more shots here, if you’re bored.)

Anyway, on today’s show, we discuss PeTA’s “victory” in getting KFC to kill their chickens a little more nicely in Canada. We also answer a bunch of voicemails, where we discuss animal vs. human rights activism, more strategies to survive restaurants, and being a positive example for veganism. We’ll be back soon with an interview with Gary Francione about his new book.

File Download (47:35 min / 38 MB)

Delays....

veganfreak — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:01:00 -0700

Hey everyone: we’re sorry about the missed shows the past two Tuesdays. Last Tuesday, our house was busy with renovations and too noisy to record, and yesterday, we had a damaging storm that knocked out power lines in our town. We have no power and will not for at least 4-5 more days. (Check out the picture below.)

As soon as we have power and internet back, we’ll post a show. Thanks for your patience. Sorry about the delays.

http://www.bobtorres.net/storm_damage.jpg

Show #92: Veganism Shows Us its "O-face"

veganfreak — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:06:37 -0700

No! Not that “o” Face….

With apologies to those of you that haven’t seen this clip from the fine movie Office Space, this week, we talk about the new “O” face of veganism….Oprah Winfrey. That’s right, as you probably have heard by now, Oprah is going on a 21-day vegan “cleanse” in which she is giving up all of the typical non-vegan things, plus gluten, alcohol, caffeine, sugar and maybe even bad thoughts about the Republicans she refuses to endorse in the general elections.

When the rest of the vegan web-o-sphere is all full of happiness and joy at Oprah’s 21-day “cleanse,” you can expect us cynical bastards at Vegan Freak Radio to turn our sights a bit more critically towards Dr. Phil’s patron and Steadman’s keeper.

If we don’t keep it real, who will?

Spiritually yours,

Bob & Jenna

File Download (54:14 min / 44 MB)

Show #91: Happy meat - great for business!

veganfreak — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:30:00 -0700

This is a short show, but we find plenty of time to critique new articles and books about happy meat, and talk about the commodifiacation of animals and people. Apologies if we seem a little scattered today – but at least it’s a show! We’ll be back next week with more vegan goodness.

File Download (47:24 min / 38 MB)

90: Radical = Get at the Root

veganfreak — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:50:08 -0700

Hey, we’re back! Are you a vegan radical? Most people would say vegan equals radical, especially if you promote veganism over, say, welfarism, or if you don’t think it’s okay to buy used leather. We talk about several articles that mention how the vegan alternative is the radical one – and we say yes it is, because it gets at the root of the problem – including the debate on vat grown meat, new “free-range” egg farms, and an excellent piece from Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary that shows the faces of “humane meat.” We also discuss an article on emotional distress in vivisectors after they are faced with having to kill their test subjects. That plus your voice mails, and there’s our show! Thanks with your patience during our hiatus, and we’ll see you next week with another show.

Peaceful Prairie: Letter From A Vegan World :: Discussed on the show.

File Download (73:32 min / 59 MB)

we're in ur ipodz makin u hungry (show #89)

veganfreak — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:07:00 -0700

This week we’ve decided to review various products that we’ve tried lately, including a B12 patch and teese vegan cheese, as well as three recently published vegan cookbooks: Vegan Express, the Asian Vegan Kitchen, and Refresh (links below). We also talk about a study on rheumatoid arthritis and a vegan diet, and answer some emails. Hope you enjoy, and as always, be in touch!

Vegan Express ::
The Asian Vegan Kitchen:Authentic and Appetizing Dishes from a Continent of Rich Flavors ::
reFresh: Contemporary Vegan Recipes From the Award Winning Fresh Restaurants ::
The B12 patch :: get your vitamins!
Teese vegan mozzarella :: get your vegan mozzarella!

File Download (53:06 min / 43 MB)

88: The means should match the ends... they should be vegan!

veganfreak — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:02:55 -0800

As we explain in this podcast, our lives have been unusually crazy and so we apologize for the delay between shows. We’re back, answering some email questions ranging from is breast milk vegan to a complicated question about what our vegan utopia would look like. Old man Bob also makes a guest appearance in a “Things aren’t as they used to be” segment.

File Download (0:00 min / 47.3 MB)

87: Don't stop short! Go Vegan!

veganfreak — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:22:00 -0800

This week, we discuss a recent Mark Bittman article from the New York Times in which the author presents a fairly compelling argument for veganism—without arguing that one should go vegan!

We also discuss a piece that argues that eating organic is “meating” vegans halfway, and we roll your voicemails, which are, as always, full of vital topics for discussion.

Thanks for listening. We’ll be back again soon for another episode.

File Download (80:18 min / 58 MB)

86: Can I touch you....there? Things aren't as they used to be.

veganfreak — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:00:32 -0800

You’ll get the title when you listen.

Enjoy! We’ll be back again soon. Be in touch! We love to hear from you.

...in the meantime, don’t forget that you can subscribe to our podcast and gain access to all of our archives for less than the cost of one of those fancy bourgeois lattes that you vegan elitists so love to drink! ; )

Being Vegan and Eating Soy :: interesting review of the dangers and non-dangers of soy consumption

File Download (74:25 min / 39 MB)

85: Frustrations With So-called "Conscientious" Meat Eaters

veganfreak — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 14:16:00 -0800

This week, we chronicle the newest aspects of an emerging segment of so-called “conscientious” meat-eaters. Stacked with proud carnivores who are attempting to be “ethical” while still eating animal products, these folks raise their own animals and eat them, wax poetic about meat, and even start idiotic meat-centric magazines.

We travel into the hell that is foodie-meat-love, show you its sordid underbelly, and provide lots of commentary. In addition, we discuss recent worker illnesses at pig slaughterhouses, and the conflation of meat eating and heterosexual masculinity.

Enjoy! We’ll be back again in early 2008. In the meantime, please vote for us at podcast alley, and hang in there!

File Download (65:48 min / 35 MB)

84: Random Ranty Goodness

veganfreak — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 14:59:00 -0800

Here comes Vegan Freak Radio #84, consisting of freshly-brewed rants for your listening pleasure. This week, we complain about new-agey vegans and happy meat at our co-op. We also take a series of voicemails that cover topics ranging from stupid comments about vegans to feral cats.

So what the hell are you waiting for? Listen already!

p.s. Vote for us at podcast alley! We’re in the top 10 now, and would like to stay there!

p.p.s. Please be kind enough to leave us a positive review at the iTunes Music Store.

File Download (57:48 min / 30 MB)

83: Nathan J. Winograd, author of Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America

veganfreak — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 10:04:00 -0800

This week in what is sure to be a provocative show, we talk with Nathan J. Winograd, author of Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America. In the interview, Nathan discusses the no-kill approach, why the big organizations like PETA and the HSUS are wrong in their approaches to sheltering animals, and how we can work to save the lives of millions of animals by working in our own communities.

This is an interview not to be missed!

Nathan Winograd :: personal site
The No Kill Advocacy Center :: promoting the no kill philosophy and practice

File Download (53:30 min / 28 MB)

82: Surviving the holidays, evidence that vegans do taste better, vivisectors love Paris (but mice don't)

veganfreak — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:41:00 -0800

Today on vegan freak radio, we offer up some advice and empathy for those of you feeling lonely or depressed in the face of the upcoming holidays. Thanks to some brave listeners, we also have more proof that vegans do indeed taste better than omnivores, as we discussed on VRF #80. And as always, we offer up comments on other miscellaneous topics such as a study involving mice and a cardboard cutout of Paris Hilton, and responses to more voicemails.

We’ll be back next week with our interview with Nathan Winograd, author of the book Redemption. Until then, stay vegan and freaky!

File Download (43:29 min / 23 MB)

81: Dreena Burton, Author of "Eat, Drink & Be Vegan"

veganfreak — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 14:54:00 -0800

This week, we interview Dreena Burton and talk about her latest cook, Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan. Dreena discusses her creative process, her favorite recipes, and more on cooking, living, and eating well.

Dreena Burton's blog :: Tasty recipes and more, from Dreena

File Download (35:37 min / 20 MB)

80: Making a Killing Released; Showing Earthlings in Class; Tons of Voicemails

veganfreak — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 16:07:00 -0800

See, we’re not dead after all—just busy these days.

On this week’s show, Bob shamelessly plugs his new book Making A Killing: The Political Economy of Animal Rights, available now from AK Press (see the book website for more info). We also talk about Bob’s experiences showing parts of the film Earthlings in two of his classes, and we start to work through the prodigious and vast archives of voicemails that we’ve accumulated over the past few months.

To this, we add our typical banter, new George W. Bush sounds to laugh at, and some samples from a funny sex-ed album from the 50s.

We’ll be back again soon in the coming weeks with two good interviews (Dreena Burton & Nate Winograd). In the meantime, if you wish, check out some photos we took while recording show 80.

Making A Killing: The Political Economy of Animal Rights :: site for the book
Order Making a Killing :: Straight from the publisher....available now.

File Download (82:08 min / 46 MB)

New Show Soon

veganfreak — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:11:00 -0700

Hello all,

We promised a show sooner than this, but life has been very, very hectic lately. Nevertheless, we are planning another show for you, and promise that we’ll be back just as soon as we can be.

We’re also planning to have new and interesting guests on the show in the coming months, so please keep an eye out for updates, or sign up to be notified when new shows are posted via email (no spam, just show announcements).

Thanks for your patience and support,

Bob & Jenna

#79: The Freaks Hit Newsweek; Be Your Own Activist; Dino on Garlic and More

veganfreak — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:15:00 -0700

Somehow, we managed to sneak into the venerable pages of Newsweek’s online edition in a story about vegan dating. Even funnier, the word “fairy-tale” is used to describe us! Fairytales aside, we move on to discuss the idea that you need to be your own activist. In a world dominated by large organizations and huge budgets, we make the claim that you—yes, you!—with your own budget, talent, and ideas can help to build an effective social movement. We then continue on with this theme, talking with Dino about a new project he has started. Of course, we can’t talk to Dino without talking about food, so we talk the ins and outs of garlic.

That’s about it for this week. We’ll be back in a fortnight with another show (we’re traveling next week). Until then, eat your greens, spread the good vegan word, and be well.

Newsweek Article :: Bob & Jenna in the Newsweek web edition
Boston Vegan Association :: check it out, Bostonites.
Fresno Vegan :: vegan guide to Fresno
Vegan Freak for a Week :: site from the project
Interview with Lelly from Vegan Freak for a Week :: we talk with Lelly about her Vegan Freak for a Week Project (last year)
Making A Killing: The Political Economy of Animal Rights :: companion site to the forthcoming book.
Vegan FAQ :: Dino's project. Join him!

File Download (61:20 min / 46 MB)