Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
It’s time for a change and here it is: The Conservatarians is now the King of Stuff podcast, with our first guest, James Lileks. James is a columnist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, co-host of Ricochet’s flagship podcast, author of several books, and the proprietor of the irreplaceable Lileks.com. From politics to music to architecture to cartoons, Jon and James cover every topic worth covering.
Subscribe to our brand-new Spotify playlist featuring picks from Jon and his guest. James is listening to “’Unbegun’ Symphony” by Peter Schickele (aka PDQ Bach) and Jon is listening to “Television Fission” by Man Or Astro-man? and “Restore My Soul” by The Choir.
Subscribe to King of Stuff in Apple Podcasts (and leave a 5-star review, please!), or by RSS feed. For all our podcasts in one place, subscribe to the Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed in Apple Podcasts or by RSS feed.
Hard to go wrong rebranding with James.
Feels like it needs a little tiny crown . . .
That’s great! But I think he needed a little sceptre too. And while I was at it I fixed his face.
I must object to the abbreviation ‘segs’.
What? not a mask?
Next week’s guest:
But if Jon interviewed Edgar Buchanan, I’m in!
Not just President Of Ephemera. President FOR LIFE!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2_jXOrz7Mw
Outstanding!
Lileks doesn’t know how to do a bad show.
I saw P. D. Q. Bach with the Atlanta Symphony many, many years ago. It was one of the most enjoyable several moments of my life.
Enjoyed it. Where else can one get a little PDQ Bach.
A rose by any other name…
ARISE SIR LOIN OF BEEF (and thanks for the surf guitar)
Potential guests? Sure I’ll throw a few out there fwiw…
Tim Pool: independent voice who was at forefront of guerilla GoPro journalism with Vice. Definitely don’t agree with all of his politics, but I think he’s a very sincere and thoughtful guy.
Tarl Warwick a.k.a. Styxhexenhammer666: another independent voice in media realm. Sharp.
Steven Crowder: even if you aren’t full-on-board with his comedy, what he built is very impressive. His willingness to engage and challenge young people in good faith, as difficult as it is for me to watch Change My Mind sometimes, have much respect for.
Ryan Hartwig (@realryanhartwig on Twitter): yes, he’s been on that Veritas site, but exposing social media bias (in my backyard, yet) is imho a monumentally important story leading up to November. This guy, and those like him, can’t be exposed enough on all channels/platforms.
[editing to add] Gad Saad: evolutionary psychologist and Professor of Marketing at Concordia University. He recommened two books that have helped me digest much of the current liberal lunacy and how it was unearthed in academia, (1) The Shadow University – The Betrayal of Liberty on America’s Campuses (Kors/Silverglate) and (2) Higher Superstition – The Academic Left and Its Quarrels with Science (Gross/Levitt).
Victor Davis Hanson: he is a damn American treasure. Know his Classisist is carried here, but always appreciate a good interviewer opposite him.
And maybe one musical rec who I’ve actually interviewed (for long defunct Ticketmaster website liveDaily). Alice Cooper. Also Arizona. A Diamondback fan. (When I said the phrase “The B.O.B.” for Bank One Ballpark, he laughed, “But you’re not from Arizona?” “Hey, I love baseball too.”) Super cool, smart, sane, and knows he’s seen the edge and lived to tell the tale.
And thank you for following me on Parler, Chief.
Troy Senik isn’t a good interviewer?
Wasn’t saying that at all, love those podcasts, or wherever VDH goes. He’s done a few with comedian Dennis Miller that are good, too.
I miss Troy here!
Senik is excellent on Law Talk. VDH is interviewed on several podcasts and makes many of the same points. What makes them all interesting is the approach each interviewer has, creating a different style to each podcast and even a different approach to the issues.
Ours (The Classicist) was the first and still the best (of course, I’m biased). It does annoy me a bit that these other shows basically copied our format instead of doing something original. Guess I should be flattered…
My point was VDH is good anywhere, and was meant as a compliment to Chief Gabriel, not a criticism of Senik.
Have been reading VDH (especially California-historical articles and books like Mexifornia: A State Of Becoming) long before finding him here on Classicist — but of course am very thankful that he’s here. [insert thumbs-up emoji]
He’s a central-valley Cali guy, and my grandparents eventually settled in Bakersfield (Kern County), so even though I grew up in the San Francisco bay area, he touches on more of the center-right mentalities that are long gone from my SF-mid-peninsula roots. Yes looking to move lol
Remember this, conservative talk radio didn’t really explode until Rush came along and everyone copied his format.
@jameslileks, you, talked a bit about life in Minneapolis after the riots. Have you considered moving out elsewhere? What would it take to prompt a move? If you were 15 years younger, with a young child, would you be more inclined to move?
What a nice surprise to hear The Choir get a shout out. Circle Slide and Speckled Bird are two of the best albums of the ’90s.
“Restore My Soul” is a fantastic cut, too.
I love that guitar sound so much and they were wonderful live.
I know I’ve seen them live back in the late 80s or early 90s, but I’m fuzzy on the details. I think it was when they were on their Wide-Eyed Wonder tour with Mark Heard, just before he released Dry Bones Dance. (Another timeless masterpiece.)
Mark Heard was the man! I know for me I saw them twice in 1991 — once in Tucson and just a week or two later at Cornerstone ’91.
I was at Cornerstone ’91! Probably saw The Choir then, too. It was the first year they held it at Bushnell. My memories are dim: it was hot, dusty, there were nowhere near enough portapotties, so the lines were very long, and once you finally got to the front of a line, the thing desperately needed emptying. Several of us drove into town instead to use the bathroom at the Hardee’s.
We camped near the lake, and all I remember is some guy late at night down by the lakeshore yelling up to God over and over, “You are in me! You are in me! Woo!!”
Tell me that was you.