Jay is a senior editor of National Review, host of the Q&A and Music For a While podcasts.
Mona Charen joins Jay for a “Need to Know”-style hour. As of old, they go back and forth – about the flood (not the Noah-related one, but the recent one in Washington, D.C.); the left-wing nuttiness of the Democratic party; troubles – further troubles – in RightWorld; Jeffrey Epstein; the British ambassador; Nancy Reagan; “Miss” and “Mrs.” and “Ms.”; the late Lee Iacocca; and yet more things under the sun.
More George Will once pointed out to George McGovern that he, McGovern, had become a noun, and an ism: “McGovernism.” The same has happened to David French: “David Frenchism.” What is that? French himself discusses it, with Jay. They talk about a slew of things, in a conversation both leisurely and vigorous: Independence Day; Justin Amash and the Republican party; climate change; Antifa and masks; Trump and dictators; Nike and Arizona; Oberlin College and a bakery (it’s always a bakery, isn’t it?); the NBA; Iran; the Tuskegee Airmen … You have a pair of Frenchistas, talking over the world.
More Jay says “Happy Independence Day” with a buffet of American music, starting with “The Banjo” and ending with “America the Beautiful.” In between, you will have many melodies, many voices, all adding up to America. Have a great one.
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More Listeners may recall that Jay is a great fan of “University Challenge,” the British quiz show. He has had “UC” contestants as guests on “Q&A” before: the great David Landon Cole and Eric Monkman, who sparked Monkmania, which still has not abated. This time, his guest is Freddy Leo, a standout from the season just past (2018-19). Amazing young man. Is “Freddy Leo” his real name or a stage name? It’s his name, actually – another amazing thing about the guy.
More Introducing this episode, Jay says, “Gonna throw a little ballet at you” – and he does. Some music from ballets. He also throws in some arias, some jazz, and more. An interesting, diverse, soul-pleasing episode.
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More It truly is dazzling, for those who are prepared to be dazzled by it. This episode gives you NBA talk from two of Jay’s regular gurus, David French and Vivek Dave, and a special guest star, Sopan Deb, newly named an NBA writer for the New York Times. (He had been a culture writer before.) Talk ranges from Steph to KD to LeBron and so on and so forth. A wonderful subject, professional basketball, from three guys who really, really know it.
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Mike Brown is the editor of the Rockdale Reporter, in Central Texas. He is one of Jay’s favorite newspapermen and writers. Jay and Kevin Williamson took a road trip to visit Mike and the Reporter – and sat down for a podcast in the bargain. You will very much like getting to know Mike Brown. (Jay and Kevin aren’t bad either.)
More Jay discusses, and plays, an old song: “A Soft Day.” You also have a little music from Brazil. And a composer who escaped the Nazis. And some Cole Porter. Also, what about the question of Wagner? Can you listen to him, SOB that he was? Finally, Franco Zeffirelli died – which leads to a reflection on him, and to an aria. In short, there’s plenty to think about in this episode, and plenty to hear.
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Gerard Schwarz is a leading conductor, and he started out as a leading trumpeter. He is also one of the best talkers about music – best teachers of music – you will ever encounter. Jay asks him to talk about everything from recordings to composers to Louis Armstrong to the future. This is a rich and fascinating hour (and even includes a little singing, at no extra charge).
N.B. The maestro’s volume is low, owing to a technological glitch. But if you can stick with him, using headphones or what have you, it will be well worth it.
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Nasser Weddady is an American of Mauritanian origin. (Mauritania is a nation in northwest Africa.) He is a human-rights activist, and strategist. He works for the Human Rights Foundation, in New York. He grew up in various countries, having a diplomat for a father. As a boy, he was in Moammar Qaddafi’s tent (literally). He also met Hafez Assad. Weddady speaks Hebrew (which is a very interesting story). For years, he has helped people spring their loved ones from prison. That’s what he does. Now he is faced with his own case: His brother, Abderrahmane, is a political prisoner, in Mauritania.
More From Norway, a story about Mrs. Grieg – and some music by Mr. From Israel, some thoughts about Bruch, Bloch, and others. This episode also includes a dollop of Rameau, a spiritual, a heavenly piece by Chopin, and more. Food for thought and soul.
More That’s the title of one of William F. Buckley Jr.’s novels: “Spytime.” Its subtitle is “The Undoing of James Jesus Angleton.” Jay asks his guest, H. Keith Melton, about Angleton – and about much else. Melton is one of the world’s foremost experts on espionage. He has amassed the greatest espionage collection. He is the author of many books, and is a founding director of the new International Spy Museum in Washington. He knows a lot of secrets – and shares some of them with us. Among the items in his collection, incidentally, is the ice pick used to kill Trotsky.
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Robert Kelly is known worldwide. He is the “BBC Dad,” the scholar whose children and wife burst into the room, delightfully, as he was giving an interview. Do you remember? It’s good that Kelly has a worldwide fame – because he knows as much about the Koreas, North and South, as anyone. With Jay, he runs through many of the most important issues. And he also relates what it’s like to be the “BBC Dad.”
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Timothy Snyder is a historian of the Holocaust, Eastern Europe, and yet other matters. He is a professor at Yale and has many other affiliations. Among his books are “Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin” and “The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America.” Jay picks his brain on democracy, dictatorship, and other concerns of today (and always). An education.
More Jay Nordlinger begins a new podcast, a music ’cast. As he says, he’ll talk about music – make some points, tell some stories, tell some jokes – but mainly play music. Because why talk when you can listen? He begins this inaugural episode with the song from which he swipes his title (“Music for a While”). There is also some piano music by Prokofiev – music seldom heard. Jay remembers a couple of musicians who have died recently. And he closes with a song from “Kiss Me, Kate,” which is back on Broadway.
“Music for a while,” goes Henry Purcell’s song, “shall all your cares beguile.”
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Listeners to “Q&A” know Evan Mawarire already. He is Zimbabwe’s “freedom pastor,” a leader of the democratic opposition. He was a guest on this podcast two years ago: here. Jay wrote a piece about him, here. At the time, Pastor Evan was leading a movement against Robert Mugabe, the longtime dictator. Now Mugabe is gone – and Pastor Evan is still leading the struggle, as the government is as cruel as ever, if not more so. Once more, the freedom pastor is in grave trouble, having continued to stick his neck out. To listen to Evan Mawarire is to be amazed and inspired.
More He has written many books, and many more columns. His latest book is “The Conservative Sensibility.” In a way, George F. Will has been pointing toward this book his entire life. It is a summing up of what he has learned and what he believes. Jay talks with him about conservatism and myriad related things: libertarianism, nationalism, populism, and so on. A wonderful, fundamental conversation.
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Loujain al-Hathloul is a Saudi political prisoner. She has campaigned for women’s rights: the right to drive; the right to live an independent life, without male guardianship; the right to be free of domestic abuse. In prison, she has been tortured. Her family stayed silent for eight months, thinking that was the right strategy. But then they decided to speak out. Loujain’s brother Walid is doing just that, and does so in this brief, moving “Q&A” with Jay.
From Jay Nordlinger’s introduction: “Three years ago, Thae Yong-ho defected to South Korea. At the time, he was North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom. He is one of the highest-ranking North Koreans ever to defect. To defect from North Korea is no light thing, to put it as mildly as possible.
“I spoke to Thae Yong-ho at the Oslo Freedom Forum, the annual human-rights gathering held in the Norwegian capital. The circumstances were not ideal. When we began, there was a great din around us. You will have to listen closely. Eventually, the din subsides, but you may still have to listen closely. Given the unusual nature of our guest, and what he has to say from his life experience, I thought it was worth airing the conversation, even with the difficulties.”
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