Andy Zee: Welcome to The RNL—Revolution, Nothing Less!—Show. This is our 124th episode. My name is Andy Zee. I'm coming to you from Los Angeles, California. We opened today's show with images of the continuing ratcheting up of the danger of war, a war that could potentially escalate to a major—even nuclear—war, a war that threatens the very survival of humanity.

You've heard of the obscene game of Russian roulette? Well, the rulers of this system are playing the most dangerous game of Russian, U.S. and China roulette with the future of humanity at stake. Last week, we promised a deep, substantive discussion of this situation and what are the interests of the people of the world in this conflict. We're going to get to that discussion very soon.

But look, this is a time of great peril for the future of humanity. A moment when there is not only the danger of catastrophic war, but the devastation of the environment caused by the workings of the capitalist-imperialist system we live under, with the U.S. the number one contributor to this destruction. And this is also a time where here, in this country, there are extremely sharp divides throughout society, especially among those who rule, and there is even serious talk of a new civil war.

Against this backdrop of a perilous future, you are watching The RNL—Revolution, Nothing Less!—Show. And this show, The RNL Show, is a program about and dedicated to revolution, a real revolution to overthrow this system and replace this system with a radically different and far better society on the road to human emancipation. That requires leadership, strategic leadership that has charted a map for the difficult but liberating road to overthrow this system through an actual revolution. Leadership that knows where humanity needs to go. Leadership that has a vision and a plan for a radically new and far better society that would lead to the emancipation of all of humanity, and not just to a change at the top with the masses of people left behind. And we have that leadership in Bob Avakian, whose voice and guidance we follow and bring to you every week on The RNL Show.

In our last episode, we said that we are going to make an important announcement. But first, I want to welcome my co-host Sunsara Taylor to The RNL Show, to this special show.

Sunsara Taylor: Andy, I'm so glad to be with you. I want to welcome everybody tuning in from around the country and around the world, especially our new viewers. It is a special episode. I don't want to waste any more time before we get to our really big announcement. Go ahead, Andy.

Andy Zee: Sunsara, you and I just had the most incredible and unique experience. We had the opportunity to sit down and interview Bob Avakian over several hours. We invited a small audience. This was a special and incredibly important experience that we're going to bring to The RNL Show. Bob Avakian (BA) is a leader for this time when the future hangs in the balance and it's going to really matter for people to experience our up close and really personal conversation with BA.

What comes through in these conversations is Bob Avakian, his heart and soul, his visceral feeling for the masses of people of the world, and the way he gets their potential. All of this contributes to his being really hard-core for a real, for an actual revolution. In these interviews, we get into his life, his stories, and the scientific method and approach to understanding the world, to making revolution, to what kind of new society we are aiming to bring into being.

So, the big announcement is that these rare up close interviews will be aired over three shows beginning on November 3, continuing on November 10, and then concluding on November 17.

Sunsara Taylor: In a little while, we're going to tell you more about the big premieres that we are planning to launch these three special episodes on November 3 and ways that we want to invite you into making this a very big deal throughout society. But first, we want to share with you an early release excerpt of this interview, a teaser, if you will. It's also, as Andy said, the promised big segment on the intensifying danger of war, inter-imperialist war and even nuclear war. This is one of many topics we got into in this interview. So we want to share with you one of the questions and answers from the second interview, the second sit-down we had with Bob Avakian, where we asked him about that. Let's go to that right now.

Sunsara Taylor: Humanity can no longer afford to allow these imperialists on any side to rule over us and battle over who's going to dominate in this situation. We need an actual revolution. In this interview, the scope of what you're going to get is an invitation into this revolution. It's an invitation to meet the leader of this revolution, Bob Avakian, who you just heard from. So, before we share a little bit about what it was like to do this interview and what you're going to get as you experience all three segments of it, I want to remind you that it launches in two weeks on November 3. This needs to be a major launch. We need thousands of people tuning in to watch this online everywhere and then the next two weeks that follow it, part two and part three. We need to build the audience together to draw in many more people to watch. In Los Angeles, we're going to have a very special in-person screening of the launch of this, an in-person premiere. Andy and I will be there together to host it. There will also be in-person screenings of the first premiere on November 3 in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and Berkeley. We'll talk more about that in a minute. But Andy, let's share.

Andy Zee: Well, you know, a sense of the sharpness of what we just saw, the sharpness with which Bob Avakian cut through the dangerous bullshit that dominates the media and progressive strata, that the U.S. is a “force for good” and not autocrats. BA does this without siding with the U.S.'s imperialist rivals. And he delivers this with a biting acuity and even humor.

What we saw in this first segment of the second episode of our interviews with BA was just one dimension of what we get in these interviews. There's whole dimensions of Bob Avakian's heart and soul, the up close and personal side of him, in the episodes to come. Also, in the course of these, in how he discusses the biggest questions facing humanity, we hear stories about his life and what created all the empathy, the integrity, the curiosity, the generous spirit, and the tremendous feeling for the masses of people of the world that he has.

Sunsara Taylor: It's really true what you say about the humor and the generosity of spirit BA brings to these interviews. He's dealing with things that will determine the fate of humanity. He is serious as a heart attack and he is rigorously scientific. He's hard-core for revolution, as you said before. But, he's also hilarious. And he's so warm and there's so much hope and so much joy and love expressed in this interview. It's really going to be an incredible experience to watch it. It was incredible to be part of. And through it all, you get, including very new people who've never encountered this revolution before, are going to get from him, in his words, a sense of why we need this revolution, why a revolution is really possible, how we go about working for that, and what this revolution is aiming for, the emancipatory vision that will lift people's sights and invite them into this fight.

Andy Zee: You know, here on The RNL—Revolution, Nothing Less!—Show, we often speak of the scientific method and the approach to reality and to revolution that's been developed by Bob Avakian and how this has contributed to his developing a whole new framework for human emancipation. He speaks to this directly in the first of our interviews that will be showing on November 3. At the same time, it comes through in how he discusses the big questions facing people here and around the world.

Sunsara Taylor: You are also going to get the sense when you watch this, you're going to get the confidence, that this is a person who could lead an actual revolution. And you're going to come to understand that this is somebody who can lead masses of people from all different sections of society—including those who catch the worst hell at the bottom of society, those who are written off and beaten down—to rise up and become emancipators of humanity and make this revolution. This is a leader who can bring that forward. You're going to see that when you watch this. There is none of the spin and none of the bullshit that you get from all these so-called leaders who are trotted out, these politicians we are told to follow. BA is for real.

Andy Zee: Yeah, we both felt that in doing this interview and the audience who was there felt the same thing. And you're going to feel that and you have a big role to play in this. But before we move on to what our plans are and your—you, who are watching this—your role in making a big impact with these three interviews and the growing the audience for them, we should all recognize the significance of Bob Avakian doing these interviews at this moment when not only does the future of humanity hang in the balance, with the threat of nuclear war and the possible extinction of humanity through climate change. Bob Avakian has analyzed that this is a rare time in this country when revolution could be possible. So these interviews are a crucial part of preparing the people and organizing the force to rise to this moment. He's done this. He's laid out a plan and an analysis of this situation in a crucial work for this moment, titled Something Terrible OR Something Truly Emancipating: Profound Crisis, Deepening Divisions, The Looming Possibility Of Civil War And The Revolution That Is Urgently Needed. A Necessary Foundation, A Basic Roadmap For This Revolution. We get into this very concretely during these interviews, but even more than that, that this is such a time underscores not just the historic importance of his doing these interviews at this time, but all of our responsibility to make these interviews a really big deal and seen and by masses of people.

Sunsara Taylor: Yeah. I also want to mention, and we've covered it here as well, that there's been constant snark, attacks, baseless slanders, accusation of “cult” hurled against Bob Avakian. These interviews are one of the most powerful refutations of that. You get a sense of who this leader really is. Also, I'll let you in on this: Andy and I ask him about these attacks and he responds to them directly. So, you'll get to see that in the course of this. But this also underscores the importance of all of us who really want radical change, who want to see humanity emancipated, who wish for and want to work for a real revolution to defend this leader, to build up support for him. This is also something you're going to get a deeper sense of as you watch: the importance of who BA is and the need to defend him.

Andy Zee: If you are a person of integrity, if you have respect for what is actually true, you'll watch these interviews and experience Bob Avakian, not just for yourself, but because people need to know what they have in this leader.

Spreading the Word and Struggling Hard with People to Get with It

Sunsara Taylor: Now we want to share four ways that you can be involved in spreading the word and building the audience for these interviews, whether you first learned about Bob Avakian today in the segment we just showed or whether you've been following him and fighting for the revolution he is fighting for for a very long time.

The first thing is start making a plan right now to bring people together, people you know, on Thursday, November 3, to watch the premiere of the first installment of these interviews that will be broadcast on this channel. And then again over the next two weeks on November 10 and 17. Each of these interviews is about 90 minutes long. We encourage you to share the excerpt that we aired today. Show it to friends, coworkers, family, classmates, people that you know. Ask for their ideas about who they want to share this with and who they want to invite to view this with you on November 3.

Again, if you're in Los Angeles, come to the in-person screening the premiere that we're going to be hosting, Andy and I, here in Los Angeles. If you're in New York, Chicago, Bay Area, mark your calendars and bring other people to the in-person screenings there as well. We have posted the details at revcom.us and we'll share them on our episode next week here as well.

Andy Zee: Yes, that's right, Sunsara. As you do this, you're going to have to challenge and struggle with people. What's concentrated in these interviews—the scope of what BA concerns himself with and what he is conveying—is radically different than how most people are currently thinking, let alone what they're doing. When you reach out and spread the word about the Bob Avakian interviews and The RNL Show and you promote this on your social media, you are likely to run into all sorts of excuses that amount to going along with the way things have been. And worse: doing nothing in the face of this dangerous time that is heading to a really terrible future. All this is avoiding learning about the one way out of the madness of today and the possibility of an emancipated future.

You know, people might say, “Voting is the answer,” when that's what got us into this mess in the first place. Or they say they support reforms that either never come or that get snatched away anyway, like the right to abortion. Some people are just in despair. Others bury their heads, hoping things will go back to “normal”—a normal that we are not going back to and was a horror for most people anyway. Or they say, “I don't want to hear anything from an old white guy. I don't agree with communism.” They might argue that “You can't really change things, a radically new world is impossible.”

Look, all of this is just the system speaking and it is fucking irresponsible to the future to not watch these interviews and do so with an open mind.

You want to know how to struggle with people? You just watched it several times in the excerpts. We just saw in the interview from BA.

If you are watching this show, then you have curiosity. You want answers. That is enough for you to go out and struggle with people who raise these things, to have the integrity, to have the concern for the future, to experience and hear BA. To recognize the importance of at this moment for people to seriously engage in and struggle over what is the way forward for humanity and to not wallow in ignorance and ignore-ance.

Sunsara Taylor: The second way that we want to involve you in getting the word out is to spread the word to people far and beyond those you know.

The audience for this interview really is everyone who can't stand this world the way it is, who is sick and tired of so many people being treated as less than human, people who worry about the future of humanity, the destruction to the climate, the threat of nuclear war. Everyone who's outraged that oppression and exploitation go on and on and on. Everybody who knows that the claim of “liberty and justice for all” is a cruel lie. Everyone who's dreamed of something better or even wondered if this is possible. All of these people across the country need to know about these interviews. So, we're going to be posting materials—PDFs of posters, palm cards, other promotional material—that you can download and print on the special page at revcom.us.

Post them all wherever you can: in laundromats, coffee shops, on lampposts in neighborhoods and kiosks on campuses. Spread the clips that we will be posting in our social media: @therevcoms. Spread them on your own platforms.

And if you have connections to people in the media, people with podcasts, other important networks that you can spread this interview to, write us at therevcoms@gmail.com with your ideas and we can work with you on this.

Andy Zee: Third, make a generous donation. Become a regular monthly donor to this show, The RNL Show, through our Patreon page. This enables us to have a regular flow of funds that we can rely on.

It costs thousands of dollars for the studio, for the equipment, to make the high-quality edit of these interviews, to print the promotional materials and place ads. It costs more for all of the organizing for revolution that this is all a part of and must serve.

Right now, people are throwing millions of dollars into the dead end of the election, supporting so-called leaders who are about trying to find a place within this horrific system that is on track to destroy our world. People are being bombarded by misinformation and bullshit that keeps them confused, demoralized and caught up in the ways of thinking and acting that keep this system going. The leadership and the future that Bob Avakian is fighting for cuts through all of this, but it needs to be funded. This only comes from those who really have a heart for humanity. This means you! We will put a link in the description of this video and up on the screen right now for you to donate; give $25, give $200, give $2,000 and do it today.

If you or someone you know is in position to make a very significant donation, let us know. Sunsara and I would be happy, more than happy, to talk with people about why they should give $10,000 or $20,000, or even $1,000 to this effort.

Also, make plans to raise funds, whether through a bake sale or yard sale, phone banking with friends, donating a work of art, teaching a class or many other creative ways. There are many important ways to not only raise the funds needed, but to bring people together to learn about this revolution as they do.

Sunsara Taylor: Fourth. Of course, those who hate and fear revolution will try to badmouth and malign BA, but we can't let this keep BA from the masses of people who so desperately need to know about this revolutionary leader and the way out he is fighting for. So let us know what you run into as you spread this. Let us know positive things and negative things as you dig into this and take this out and share with us your ideas. We will be with you on this show and in other ways at revcom.us and through the Zooms we organize in other ways through this whole process.

Andy Zee: In bringing this to a close, let's go back to Bob Avakian on the stakes of this moment and the masses of people in the world:

Clip from BA: “This is very acutely and urgently posed now. The mass of people in the world cannot any longer afford, it was always terrible that these are the people ruling the world—but is now acutely, acutely posed: We can no longer afford to allow these imperialists to dominate the world and to determine the destiny of humanity. They need to be overthrown as quickly as possible.”

Andy Zee continues: We really can't let these people rule. So, to conclude, I want to make three brief points that we've discussed today. Number one: Bob Avakian sitting down in this moment of great danger and great potential for really positive, radical change is a really big deal. Number two: the tremendous insight and guidance in these conversations, and more than that, the chance to meet this leader, to see this leader up close and personal and unrehearsed, is not to be missed. And three: this can't be a secret. It has to be the occasion to really jump up the viewership of The RNL—Revolution, Nothing Less!—Show to a whole other level.