VeganFreak Radio Vegan and Animal Rights Podcast

108: The Sound of Philadelphia; Gary Francione

veganfreak — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:51:00 -0700

After a hiatus that was a bit longer than what we’d intended, we’re back after a move to the City of Brotherly Love. On this show, we talk about our recent experiences after the move, roll some of your voicemails, and also have Professor Gary Francione on in what will become a regular segment on VFR.

Thanks for your patience and support, and we will be back again soon.

File Download (74:32 min / 68 MB)

107: Love us or hate us, we think you should go vegan - no apologies!

veganfreak — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:34:14 -0700

The Vegan Freak headquarters are moving! In our last podcast from the Northern New York elite fortress, we bring you much rantiness in our Meat (and cheese) Makes you Stupid segment and as we answer your tweets and voicemails. We talk about everything from why you shouldn’t give up on your medication to why logic and facts will make you no friends, and why we think it’s a little crazy to eat just bananas and romaine lettuce every day.

Soon we will be coming at you from our new urban digs in the Illadelph, so stay tuned for a new show in June!

Vegan Freak (book) Fan Page on Facebook :: Be a fan of our book!
Veagn Freak Radio Fan Page on Facebook :: Be a fan of our show!
Vegan Freak Group on Facebook :: Go join our group!

File Download (88:38 min / 47 MB)

106: Propagandhi's Chris Hannah; 911 McNuggets; Vegan-Minus?

veganfreak — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:11:00 -0800

This week on Vegan Freak Radio we are joined by Chris Hannah of Propagandhi to talk about music, activism, living one’s principles, jingoistic sporting events, eating foodies and….oh, yeah, and Propagandhi’s new album, Supporting Caste, out March 10th around the world. We play two excelllllent tracks from the new album, which is sure to please old and new fans alike.

Of course, we put the exciting stuff with Chris in the second half of the show. In the first half, you have to suffer through our witty banter, which includes us pondering why anyone would call 911 about chicken McNuggets, and our discussion of how masculinity and meat eating constructs even the identities of our companion animals. Plus, we talk about what “vegan-plus” means (hint: nothing) and we respond to your tweets and voicemails.

File Download (124:01 min / 86 MB)

105: Author Joy Tienzo on celebrating Valentine’s Day vegan style

veganfreak — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:41:00 -0800

We know that some of you might pooh-pooh the idea of celebrating Valentine’s Day, but once you hear Joy’s ideas, you might change your mind! She presents a delicious menu that you can use to impress your date, or celebrate with family and friends.

In regular VFR fashion, we also discuss shared exploitations of humans and animals, soy still making you gay, and we respond to your tweets and voicemails.

(Paying subscribers: a PDF of Joy’s recipe will be in your RSS feed in iTunes or whatever you use to get our podcasts. Alternately, there will be a link for direct download in the announcement email for the show, which is sent to the email address we have on record for you.)

Joy Tienzo's Blog :: Recipes discussed on today's show are posted here.

File Download (75:51 min / 81 MB)

104: New Fangled Space Radio, Snowmobilers suck, Vegetarian Youth

veganfreak — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:46:00 -0800

Things aren’t as they used to be at the start of this podcast. Old man Bob opens the show by talking about his recent brush with hipsters on the “new fangled space radio.” We then go on to talk about a distrubing case of snowmobilers thrill killing deer, and we further discuss how more youths would probably claim to have seen extraterrestrials than are vegan. We close out the show with voicemails and emails, and give subscribers a special little extended edition.

File Download (59:28 min / 32 MB)

#103: Is it vegan to own stock in Tyson?; Author Claire Askew

veganfreak — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:41:00 -0800

This week, we talk about PETA buying stock in companies with a stake in animal exploitation. We also return to the question of what to tell kids who ask why you’re not eating meat.

To close out the show, we have your voicemails, and we also interview Claire Askew, author of the new book, Generation V: The Complete Guide to Going, Being, and Staying Vegan as a Teenager.

BVA Pamphlet :: Boston Vegan Association Pamphlet
Gary Francione's Pamphlet :: From abolitionistapproach.com; available in other languages. Visit the site for details.
Animal Emancipation Pamphlet :: From Jo (animalemancipation.com) and Vincent (veganimprov.com)
I'm Vegan :: Documentary project seeking vegans. More info at the site.

File Download (58:41 min / 30 MB)

102: Holy Vegan Randomness, Batman!

veganfreak — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:51:00 -0800

Holy vegan randomness, batman!

Today we veer all over the place talking about Bob’s recent piece on animal rights for the site Opposing Views, how vegans are portrayed on the tee vee, and in response to emails/voicemails, why white lies are sometimes ethical (and believe it or not, our answer has to do with poo), dealing with in-laws and kids, and more.

If you’re looking for a great xmas present for yourself or others, keep Peaceful Prairie in mind – they’ve put out a call for donations so they can expand their land as well as their work in rescuing animals and promoting veganism.

File Download (56:41 min / 30 MB)

101: Veganism 101 and we get angry with the Angry Hippie

veganfreak — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:56:00 -0700

On the occasion of show 101, we do a sort of 101 on veganism, hitting on a few essential points for the n00bie vegans out there, including why vegetarianism isn’t enough, why you should use “teh google,” and the reasons that you should think for yourself when it comes to important issues.

After that, we bring you an interview with vegan podcaster, activist, and multimedia madman, the Angry Hippie. Once you’ve heard our interview, make sure you go check out his site over at http://angryhippie.info/.

Thanks, and we’ll be back again soon. Sorry for the big gaps between shows—we’re busy at work on Vegan Freak 2.0.

File Download (73:15 min / 39 MB)

100: The Centenary of Vegan Freakdom

veganfreak — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:12:00 -0700

Back in July 2005, two dorky PhD types hunched over a single cheap microphone plugged into an iBook, thinking that they’d do a few shows. Now, thanks to all of you who have supported us over the years, we’re at 100. We use today’s episode to look back at the beginning, and to talk about where we’ve been and where we’re going.

We will be back with Show 101 around October 11th. Until then, stay vegan and freaky, and enjoy show 100!

File Download (50:46 min / 28 MB)

99: Channel your energy, and get moving

veganfreak — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:23:00 -0700

On today’s show, we feature an interview with Mark Love, a fitness trainer with over ten years of experience in training all kinds of people, from athletes to sedentary adults and people recovering from illness or injury. Mark gives tips on how to get motivated and keep yourself motivated to exercise, and discusses what it’s like to be a vegan in the fitness industry.

We also have our usual Vegan Freak fare: we discuss articles about dog rental services and about the subjectivity of our perception of food, and in response to listener voicemails we talk about standing up for what you want in a restaurant, the “manliness” of eating what you want and dying young, and why it isn’t healthy to channel your anger and sadness over the state of the world inward.

Hope you enjoy, and see you next for the big 100 show!

File Download (89:09 min / 46 MB)

#98: Summer cooking with Dreena, Joy, and Dino

veganfreak — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:44:00 -0700

This week we have a treat for you – interviews with Dreena Burton, Joy Tienzo, and Dino Sarma, three cookbook authors, about what they’re cooking these days, and some of their thoughts on vegan cooking in general. Dreena emphasizes local in-season foods, while Joy gives you some tips on a simple summer entertainment menu, and Dino discusses how to put a new twist on something you already enjoy eating. All three interviews are a bit different, but all emphasize the wonderful variety and abundance of foods that vegans can share with other vegans and non-vegans alike. Bon appetit!

Thanks to the generosity of our guests, we also have a PDF of recipes that you can download!

PDF of Recipes :: A few recipes from each guest on today's show
Dreena's Site :: Check out all of the great-looking food Dreena is making
Joy's Blog :: Joy details her cooking adventures here, with pictures
Dino's Blog :: Dino blogs about cooking and life
Dino's Podcast :: Yeah, Dino has a podcast!

File Download (74:10 min / 39 MB)

New show coming next week

veganfreak — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:55:00 -0700

Hey folks—we know some of you get antsy when we fall out of our (somewhat) weekly rotation, so we wanted to post a quick note to let you know that our next show will be coming next week.

The next show features three different guests, all on a similar theme. We hope you’ll like it!

See you next week… Bob and Jenna

Show 97: OMGWTFBBQ soy is evil!

veganfreak — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:53:00 -0700

Yes, there are more sensationalistic headlines in the news these days about the evils of soy, and we use some of our critical thinking skills to analyze why the studies aren’t necessarily what they seem on the surface.

No voicemails this show, but we do finally get around to some positive email stories and other articles that listeners have sent us, including some very pragmatic nutritional advice, jewelry made of cicadas (?!), and female butchers who feel like cavewomen.

File Download (45:08 min / 25 MB)

96: Want a real happy meal? Try a vegan meal!

veganfreak — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:58:00 -0700

According to “free-range” enthusiasts, pampered cows make tasty steaks and it’s okay to feel good about eating them. Make you angry? Good, it made us angry too!

Today we rant about several happy meat articles, as well as an article that tries to scare everyone into thinking that veganism is unhealthy. We have some great voicemails that include a question about how to get people to care about animals, and we also include a great clip from Star Trek Voyager that really illustrates the problems with animal testing and a utilitarian perspective on rights.

File Download (65:00 min / 59 MB)

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)