No Agenda Show – Episode 1810: "NA Era"
Hosts: Adam Curry & John C. Dvorak
Date: October 26, 2025
Theme: 18 Years of No Agenda – Media Deconstruction, Podcasting Legacy, and Global Current Events
Episode Overview
In their 18th-anniversary episode, Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak celebrate No Agenda’s enduring legacy as a podcast dedicated to media deconstruction, skepticism of mainstream narratives, and vibrant community engagement. The show combines retrospective banter about podcasting history with incisive discussions on current affairs—spanning politics, economics, war, technology, public health, and culture. The episode is filled with humor, technical tangents, and memorable observations, all delivered in their trademark style.
1. Opening Banter & 18th Anniversary Reflections
Timestamps: 00:00–10:52
- Podcast Longevity: The hosts open with jokes about aging and dress codes—“if you wear jeans when you're older, you look like a homeless person” (Adam, 00:26)—before shifting to anniversary celebrations.
- Technical Tangent: John struggles with a failing MIDI controller, leading to a humorous exchange about old radio boards (01:55–03:47).
- First Episode Throwback: They play a clip from October 26, 2007, highlighting their humble beginnings and the spontaneous decision to start No Agenda (04:45–06:33).
- Legacy & Impact: Adam and John discuss how No Agenda serves as a modern-day Library of Alexandria, preserved by dedicated listeners and “decentralized, downloaded onto millions of phones” (09:49). John jokes about future archaeologists marveling that “[we] knew 50 years ago that we never landed on the moon” (09:51).
“We're in Gunsmoke territory… it’s historic, people are listening to what will eventually be considered an historic podcast.” — Adam Curry (08:23)
2. Economic Nostalgia: Mac & Cheese and Hamburger Helper
Timestamps: 10:13–17:01
- Economic Cycles: Revisiting an old "mac and cheese" meme, the hosts recall joking about economic downturns making cheap meals staples.
- Current Trends: Reports of "Hamburger Helper" making a comeback (11:00–12:08).
- Fredericksburg Wine & Food Festival: John recounts an exclusive local festival as a microcosm of economic malaise—attendance up, spending down (12:17–17:01).
“People are JL’s—‘Just Looking.’ Hey, I'm just looking.” — John C. Dvorak (17:13)
3. Deconstructing the Media: War Rhetoric & Lindsey Graham
Timestamps: 17:13–39:46
- Political Theatre: The focus shifts to media spectacles surrounding U.S. military action in Latin America, featuring Lindsey Graham advocating for expanded operations against drug cartels in Venezuela and Colombia.
- Role of the Media: Margaret Brennan and Sen. Graham clips highlight the blurring of war, law, and political theater. Adam and John mock the news cycle ("Kill, kill, kill this guy!" — John C. Dvorak, 21:40).
- Historical Hypocrisy: Adam wonders why no one raises Obama’s drone “kill list” when discussing war crimes and U.S. interventions (20:22–31:44).
- Humor Amidst Tragedy: Ridicule of reporters’ prompter flubs (“Ground troops like ground beef!”), and the recurring “kill” motif.
“If there’s actual murder and killing and death, Lindsey Graham shows up. You can set your watch by it.” — John C. Dvorak (21:22)
4. TikTok Deal, China, and Ownership Hysteria
Timestamps: 43:07–54:19
- National Security Fears: Margaret Brennan grills Treasury Secretary and Rep. John Molinar over the finalization of a TikTok deal with China.
- Algorithm Anxiety: Extensive, and at times comical, obsession with the “algorithm” (“There’s 6 million pieces of code in this algorithm!” —Molinar, 49:38). Adam and John lampoon these technological misunderstandings.
- Ownership Fronts: Skepticism about U.S. “front” investors (“a bunch of Nepos...this is bull crap,” Adam, 53:41).
5. Gaza "Master Plan" and Podcasting Audience Capture
Timestamps: 58:06–67:04
- Media Narratives: Reaction to mainstream and alternative media coverage of the Gaza “reconstruction plan” unveiled by Witkoff and Kushner. Skepticism about the supposed historical “master plan” and criticism of audience-capturing “podcasters” (Breaking Points, 57:10–58:30).
- Deconstruction: The hosts deconstruct how clips are selectively edited to fit prevailing narratives and express doubts about the authenticity and benevolence of international aid plans.
“It’s so disingenuous because they actually didn’t play what came right after that in interview.” — John C. Dvorak (62:53)
6. Health Skepticism: Measles, Peanut Allergies & Pharma
Timestamps: 67:38–82:31
- Vaccine Narratives: Retrospective on vaccine media: Law & Order and news clips from 2015–2018, shifting public attitudes before and after COVID-19 (“It was the COVID bull crap shot...that changed everything in terms of attitudes.” — Adam Curry, 69:36).
- Peanut Allergies: Mainstream reports credit revised guidelines for reduced allergy rates, but Adam and John suspect a link to vaccine hesitancy and aluminum adjuvants (79:03–81:51).
- Pharma Transparency: Boots-on-the-ground reports from listeners regarding opioid addiction treatments (Sublocade), their dangers, and the value of community-sourced information.
“If you put aluminum in with the viral antigen, your body now mounts an allergic response...what we now know, the science suggests, is that the aluminum also creates allergic responses to anything that’s in the ambient environment.” — Adam Curry (81:00)
7. Global and Domestic Political Roundup
Timestamps: 83:01–104:47
- Immigration Cases: Updates on unusual deportation case and rundown on El Salvador being a destination for Bitcoin entrepreneurs.
- Lawfare & Surveillance: Clips of Sen. Kennedy blasting DOJ and FBI for weaponization (“That’s not supposed to happen in America. That happens in countries whose powerball jackpot is 287 chickens and a goat.” — Kennedy, 86:49).
- Arctic Frost & Climate: Tangential, lightly mocking coverage of climate phenomena—“The Blob” oceanic warming, and ham radio sunspot nostalgia.
8. Election Season Satire: Carville, Bannon, the No Kings Gambit
Timestamps: 93:49–107:29
- Trump Hysteria: Steve Bannon’s “Trump 2028” trolling, constitutional semantics, and Bannon’s “vehicle of divine providence” rhetoric lampooned.
- Carville Auditions for MSNBC: Carville’s old-man patriotism and explicit fear-mongering are identified as “no Kings gambit”—an attempt to hijack the flag and co-opt patriotism for the Democrats' messaging strategy.
- Political Theatre: Predictions for the transition to "MS Now" (the MSNBC rebranding), with speculation they’ll "out flag" Fox News.
“The whole ‘no kings’ thing...it’s really about the Democrat Party trying to hijack patriotism...It’s only about Trump.” — John C. Dvorak (101:14)
9. Urban Politics & LGBTQ+
Timestamps: 107:42–118:56
- NYC & NJ Political Races: Discussion of Zoran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign and Hakeem Jeffries’ endorsement, noting the inevitability of Mamdani’s win and New Yorkers’ resistance to it (112:16).
- Spotting Lesbians: Humorous and awkward speculation about Mickey Sherrill’s sexuality and its perceived implications in political optics.
10. International Affairs & the Swiss Army Knife of Presidential Power
Timestamps: 119:39–127:58
- Canada–U.S. Trade War: Analysis of President Trump’s conflict with Canada over tariffs, invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
- Legislative Overreach: John deconstructs the act as an “insane” catch-all for presidential power, with humor about Congress giving away its authority.
11. Gen Z Woes & Financial Realities
Timestamps: 128:13–132:32
- TikTok Breakdown Clip: Comic relief, mocking a TikTok rant about perpetual renting, representing generational financial frustration.
- Producer Community: Testimonial from a young Canadian “Zed” about lab-grown vs. real diamonds and responsible life decisions, reinforcing No Agenda’s cross-generational influence.
12. Podcasting, Community, and Value for Value Model
Timestamps: 133:26–137:09
- History of “Producers”: Adam & John recount their early decision to call listeners “producers,” connecting this to the value-for-value model and the show’s independence from advertising.
- Listener Engagement: Homage to the producers’ contributions—clips, boots-on-the-ground reports, meetups, time, talent, and treasure.
13. Culture Corner: Gooners, Smut, & Feminine Mystique
Timestamps: 137:18–140:11
- Shoe on Head Clip: Exploration of the “female gooner” phenomenon—women openly addicted to romance novels/classic smut, with humor on the evolving landscape of adult content for women.
14. Technology & Automotive Industry
Timestamps: 143:05–144:57
- Saab & Automotive Stories: The hosts reminisce about quirky European cars (Saab) and their foibles—choke mechanisms, cup holder inventions, LGP engines—again, audience engagement driven by shared life experience.
15. Sports & Gambling
Timestamps: 179:03–184:01
- Gambling Addiction & Sports: Bulls’ center Nikola Vucevic discusses the negative impact of sports betting, prompting Adam & John to muse about league complicity, the children yelled prop bets, and the infiltration of gambling ads into sports/media/podcasts.
16. International Political Coverage
Timestamps: 184:01–194:02
- Israeli–American Relations: Satirical segment scrutinizing U.S. official visits to Israel and the political theater around West Bank annexation.
- Subprime Auto Loans & Electric Vehicles: Financial turmoil in auto lending, technical parsing of profit losses by Porsche, Ferrari, GM, Ford, and pitfalls of chasing the EV market.
17. Religion, Schism, and African Churches
Timestamps: 194:17–197:41
- Anglican Church Split: Analysis of a major (but underreported) split in the Anglican church—highlighting the divide between progressive Western branches and conservative African/Asian branches over female bishops and LGBT inclusion.
18. Domestic Political Extremes
Timestamps: 197:51–204:33
- Maine Senate Race & Nazi Tattoo: CNN’s Scott Jennings skewers the spectacle of a Democratic candidate with an SS tattoo leading a primary, lambasting both left and right for hypocrisy and audience polarization.
19. Final Segments: Producer Rollcall, Meetups, End-of-Show Mixes
Timestamps: 204:42–End
- Donation Rollcall: Standard but content-rich donation reading—No Agenda’s “Time, Talent, Treasure” model, with executive producers, Peace Prizes, and personalized notes.
- Meetup Culture: Reports from Fort Wayne and Los Altos meetups, with humor and community-building.
- End-of-Show Mixes: No Agenda music mixes, brainstorming for a “No Agenda Radio” spin-off, and John’s cleaning/household “Tip of the Day."
- Closing Thoughts: Adam and John thank their “producers” for 18 years, invoking continued value-for-value support and a promise to keep going as long as support remains.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “We’re creating the future Library of Alexandria in real time.” — John C. Dvorak (08:49)
- “Whenever there’s killing going on, Lindsey Graham’s like, ‘I love it so much. Who are we killing?’” — John C. Dvorak (17:47)
- “Obama had a kill list... how come that’s not mentioned? He’s black.” — Adam Curry (20:22)
- “We’re in Mac and cheese times.” — John C. Dvorak (17:07)
- “That’s the beauty of the internet... podcasts, MP3s, decentralized, downloaded onto millions of phones.” — John C. Dvorak (09:49)
- “If you have a peanut oil excipient in that vaccine and you put aluminum in it, you could have a lifetime allergy to peanuts.” — Adam Curry (81:00)
- “I think the old people are trying to wave the flag harder, but it’s just too insincere.” — Adam Curry (105:55)
- “Our formula is this: we go out, we hit people in the mouth!” — John C. Dvorak (177:10)
Essential Segments & Timestamps
- 18th-Anniversary Reflections & First Ep Clip: 00:00–10:52
- War Rhetoric/Lindsey Graham Segment: 17:13–39:46
- TikTok/China “Algorithm” Frenzy: 43:07–54:19
- Gaza Reconstruction "Master Plan" Satire: 58:06–67:04
- Vaccine & Peanut Allergy Skepticism: 67:38–82:31
- Lawfare & DOJ Surveillance Scandal: 83:01–104:47
- Carville/Bannon/MSNBC Audition Segment: 93:49–107:29
- Saab/Automotive Nostalgia: 143:32–144:57
- Anglican Church Split: 194:17–197:41
- CNN Nazi Tattoo Rant: 197:51–204:33
- Producer Thanks & End-of-Show: 204:42–End
Closing
No Agenda’s 18th anniversary stands as a testament to the strength of community-powered, ad-free podcasting and relentless skepticism toward mainstream narratives. The episode showcases Adam and John’s blend of humor, technical prowess, and media-literacy, as well as their commitment to “hitting people in the mouth”—deconstructing news, empowering listeners, and fostering a truly global tribe of engaged “producers.”
“As long as the value flows, we'll keep going. It's value-for-value both ways.” — No Agenda
Show Art, Clips, and End-of-Show Mixes:
- [NoAgendaArtGenerator.com]
- [NoAgendaMeetups.com]
- [NoAgendaDonations.com]
Contact:
- [noagenda@protonmail.com]
- [Clip submissions via Bingit.io and ClipGenie.com]
For a full current event breakdown, deconstruction, and the best in podcasting community, listen to the No Agenda Show. ITM!
