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‘Shall I project a world?’ — ‘The Crying of Lot 49’ episode

Political Theater, Episode 405

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and podcaster Joe Rogan look on as President Donald Trump shakes hands with W. Bryan Hubbard, CEO of Americans for Ibogaine, during an executive order signing ceremony at the White House on April 18. The executive order aims to further medical research and clinical trials for certain psychedelic drugs. The use of psychedelics is a theme in the Thomas Pynchon novel “The Crying of Lot 49,” one of many parallels in the book to our current time, Political Theater discusses.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and podcaster Joe Rogan look on as President Donald Trump shakes hands with W. Bryan Hubbard, CEO of Americans for Ibogaine, during an executive order signing ceremony at the White House on April 18. The executive order aims to further medical research and clinical trials for certain psychedelic drugs. The use of psychedelics is a theme in the Thomas Pynchon novel “The Crying of Lot 49,” one of many parallels in the book to our current time, Political Theater discusses. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
By Jason Dick
Posted April 23, 2026 at 12:09pm

Real estate magnates, secret societies, alternative means of communicating, psychedelic drugs used as therapy? It’s not our world; it’s the world of Thomas Pynchon’s “The Crying of Lot 49.” Jason Dick, Sean Carswell and Alan Tuszynski discuss Silent Tristero’s Empire and whether we’re living in it. 

Show Notes:

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