Armenia: Despair, Hope, and Rebirth

This week, I talk to Alec Mouhibian, also known as “The Filthy Armenian” (follow on X), a writer, podcaster, and film maker.

We originally met when he interviewed me for his own podcast a few months ago. At the time, I enjoyed talking to Alec, as it was a different kind of interview from what I was used to, focusing more on my personal background than most shows I have done. In this conversation, he starts out by talking about how he grew up and his initial dream of becoming a political writer. This gets us to the history of how people have been able to make a living in that industry, and what it means to be a writer today compared to previous decades. We then shift to his current job as a film producer, and I ask some basic questions regarding how he learned to make movies. We discuss the concept of “Hananiacs”, which apparently refers to homosexuals who are the only ones with sophisticated enough tastes to appreciate my complete body of work.

About a half hour in, we get to his 2021 documentary “I Am Not Alone,” about the 2018 political turbulence in Armenia.

We touch on topics having to do with Armenian culture, the general trajectory of that nation, the recent war with Azerbaijan, and how the 1915-1923 genocide affects its collective memory. I ask whether it plays a constructive role in how Armenians see themselves, and whether it might not be better to simply forget and move on. We discuss how civilized the events of 2018 were relative to other political conflicts one might compare them to, which Alec attributes to Armenians having a strong sense of national identity.

Alec will be hosting a party on January 6 in the Los Angeles area, which I plan to attend. Instructions for getting tickets are at the link. Look forward to seeing anyone who can make it.

In addition to the audio of the podcast, you can watch the video below, if you’re reading on Substack, or by clicking through to the webpage if you’re reading this on your podcast app.