Rich Hall's Working For The American Dream

[Blue Jam]

This is like Adam Curtis, but funnier and better. It's great- go watch:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0b8rc45/rich-halls-working-for-the-american-dream

[Twed]

Ah, nice! I didn't know this existed. Rich Hall is a figure more people should listen to. He is indeed better than Adam Curtis.

[spamwangler]

loving this

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

It was a bit too long. An hour would have sufficed.

[bgmnts]

Comparing getting off the Mayflower to arriving at Butlins made me chuckle.

[im barry bethel]

It was a bit too long. An hour would have sufficed.

I go the other way, could have done with being a 3 parter so he didn't have to rush

Comparing getting off the Mayflower to arriving at Butlins made me chuckle.

"Pullman - shot his employees
Ford - shot his employees
Edison - okay he didn't actually shot anyone but did kill an elephant to get one over on Tesla, and developed the electric lightbulb so thousands of workers could die in factories lit after dark"

[Weeping Prophet]

I'm in the states and hoping for a YouTube upload where the sound doesn't cut out periodically.

[im barry bethel]

Back tonight at 10pm on BBC4 with 'Rich Halls Presidential Grudge Match'.

[Rocket Surgery]

I assume I'm preaching to the converted here, but anyone who missed his previous doc about the bullshit Native Americans have had to put up with over the forever have missed some essential telly.

Won't pretend it's uplifting, but it's good.

[trabuch]

Thanks CAB. Watching the linked one. It's a decent essay. May I also recommend Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus? If you like Americana. Not that funny - but kinda funny. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074qfn/arena-searching-for-the-wrongeyed-jesus

[honeychile]

Most of his docs are on YouTube (including already this american dream one, which i enjoyed a lot). How the west was lost is the only one i can't find. If anyone's interested, they're below - i'd particularly recommend the top three.

The dirty south (the south in popular culture)
Continental drifters (road movies)
Inventing the indian (first peoples of the US in popular culture)
You can go to hell, i'm going to Texas (history and culture of Texas)
California stars (modern history of California)
Presidential grudge match (electoral mudslinging)

[Norton Canes]

Thanks CAB. Watching the linked one. It's a decent essay. May I also recommend Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus? If you like Americana. Not that funny - but kinda funny https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074qfn/arena-searching-for-the-wrongeyed-jesus

Woke up this morning, watched Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus on the iPlayer
Woke up this morning, watched Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus on the iPlayer
Woke up this morning, watched Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus on the iPlayer
Came onto Cookdandbomd to see if anyone else had seen it and to say how good it was.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I woke up yesterday morning to find that Rich had added me as a friend on facebook and got excited, thought hey, maybe he's seen my site and is a fan and wants to do an interview and... but then saw that he'd just been adding a ridiculous amount of people and I was one of thousands. Ah well, at least I can see his holiday snaps now.

[Dewt]

It's a thing that social media managers do with their client's accounts to promote them. I learned this when Nolan Bushnell of Atari followed me. They search for people who talk about relevant things.

Maybe it means Rich is preparing something new though.

[honeychile]

Did anyone watch the one about the cold war, Red menace aired in November? I thought it was utter dogshit, and i say that as someone who's enjoyed a lot of the others he's done. It seemed like a hurried school project - quickly google some strange stories, do a few minutes swotting up and hope it passes muster. Usually these docs come across as something he's interested in and passionate about, but given this one was part of BBC4's season on the cold war, it's likely it was effectively written to commission and it certainly came across that way.

Best thing he's done was still that batshit 2004 US election show - probably worth me digging that out again in the age of Trump.

[Dewt]

Still holding out for high-quality copies of Fishing Show. Mine are watchable, but ugh:



It's a shame this was all before HD broadcast.

Great programme, I'll never stop talking about it. Nobody is more qualified to talk about the problems with Britain and American than Rich Hall.