Dennis Prager stops by to discuss his new book, Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph. It’s a fascinating discussion on evil, multiculturalism, liberty, and of course, classical music, art, architecture, and happiness (this is Dennis Prager, after all). Then, a discussion on happy dads, grateful VPs, and Lileks’ work habits. Personal to Ricochet member katiev: You’re the winner of this week’s Ricochet Podcast Member Post of The Week! We’ll be in touch. 

Note: a thousand apologies for the audio quality during Dennis Prager’s segment. We stopped a couple of times to try and fix it to no avail. We’ll try and do better next time. 

Music from this week’s episode:

Here’s the direct link to this week’s episode (but use our audio player above), however the best way to hear the podcast is to subscribe! You may also visit our Feedburner page for a number of other subscription options. Or better yet, use Stitcher. We do. 

Many thanks, EJHill

Looking for an audiobook? Get one for free from Audible on us. Click here

The Ricochet Podcast is proudly sponsored by Encounter Books. This week’s pick is Black April: The Fall of South Vietnam, 1973-75 by George J. Veith. Available for $20.97 at EncounterBooks.com and Amazon.com.

Subscribe to Ricochet Podcast 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.

There are 32 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. Profile Photo Member

    Remarkable podcast because of the excellent summary of the religion of the Left. James Lileks spoke about his daughter’s indoctrination by the school system. Dennis P. summed it all up with his comment on what gets taught – bananas versus classical music. 

    Peter’s comments on the research findings that Dads are happier than men without children but there is no difference between women who are or are not Mums made me realize that I MISSED the whole point of that posting. I thought the research was saying Dads have got happier over the past years but not mums. Should have read the link!

    That is a whole other discussion. Was I the only dumbkopf? Can we discuss this again?

    • #1
    • May 25, 2012, at 4:51 AM PDT
    • Like
  2. Commodore BTC Inactive

    Not trying to be rude, but am I the only one who fast forwards the first five minutes of the podcast?

    I”m interested in your takes on the news of the day, not so much how your weeks went.

    I find the best podcasts are the ones that get right down to it after maybe a 30 second intro.

    • #2
    • May 25, 2012, at 5:02 AM PDT
    • Like
  3. David Guaspari Member
    David Guaspari Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member

    The chat about the funding of basic research overlooked an important point about costs and incentives: you can’t patent the law of gravity or Maxwell’s equations or the Higgs boson. Even though scientific curiosity, ambition, etc., are incentives to make basic discoveries there is, in general, no way to recoup the costs of the research in the marketplace. That’s the case for public funding of basic (as opposed to applied) research.

    • #3
    • May 25, 2012, at 5:21 AM PDT
    • Like
  4. Guruforhire Member

    I remember sometime ago Dennis Prager mentioned that he had quite a stereo. I would like to hear more about this stereo, and his thinking behind it.

    • #4
    • May 25, 2012, at 6:00 AM PDT
    • Like
  5. ParisParamus Member
    ParisParamus Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member

    Mr. Lileks, thanks for the shout out (and props…) to/for Grand Arny Plaza here in Park Slope Brooklyn. It ain’t Paris, but it’s a pretty good consolation prize. My avatar is the arch in GAP!

    • #5
    • May 25, 2012, at 7:14 AM PDT
    • Like
  6. Boymoose Inactive

    Please PLease PLEase PLEAse PLEASe PLEASE

    Improve the audio quality of this podcast!

    Ask yourself this … will a potential member join or continue to listen (even to Dennis Prager) if there is a live squirrel being chased across a desk?

    Please kill the squirrel and limit what sounds like multi-tasking. It will be interpreted as contempt for your audience which is not true of any host or guest on this podcast.

    Thanks for your otherwise excellent work. It is a highlight of my week.

    • #6
    • May 25, 2012, at 7:47 AM PDT
    • Like
  7. Yeah...ok. Inactive

    James, just because Obama hasn’t yet announce his high speed transporter initiative doesn’t mean that our military has fallen behind in the travel thru space race.

    • #7
    • May 25, 2012, at 7:55 AM PDT
    • Like
  8. Guruforhire Member

    Mr. Lileks,

    I agree with you about research. Unfortunately, we have traded research for entitlements. Over the past 50 years we have spent on average 1.4-1.5% on research. We presently spend .8% on research. If we had a budget that normalized everything to their long term averages and a capped the total at 18% of GDP, we would have to INCREASE scientific research 10 billion.

    We can accomodate everybody we just cant be stupid, and we have to make choices. With 2.2 Trillion on entitlements, and the upper limit on the size of government at 2.6 Trillion, there is no money for research, there is barely any money for government at all.

    There is room in america for more than one opinion, but we have to share what exists.

    • #8
    • May 25, 2012, at 8:02 AM PDT
    • Like
  9. R.J. Moeller Inactive

    Despite the audio issues, this was a great episode (as always)! And thanks for the “props”, James. You’re so hip!

    • #9
    • May 25, 2012, at 8:04 AM PDT
    • Like
  10. Larry Koler Inactive

    Great interview of Dennis — thanks, guys. I’ve been a member of Pragertopia from the very first day it started and it’s so nice to hear how much you guys like Prager, too. He’s a national treasure and you guys really helped flesh out his thoughts on how great this country is.

    • #10
    • May 25, 2012, at 8:08 AM PDT
    • Like
  11. Larry Koler Inactive
    Ningrim: Not trying to be rude, but am I the only one who fast forwards the first five minutes of the podcast?

    Not me — but I’m one of the groupies, so I love hearing about what’s been going on in their lives.

    • #11
    • May 25, 2012, at 8:08 AM PDT
    • Like
  12. Larry Koler Inactive
    EJHill
    David Knights: EJ, that image is stolen from 1776 (one of my favorite movies) Do I win a prize?  

    You win an avatar! Private message me an idea and it’s alllllll yours! · 10 hours ago

    EJ, please consider sprucing up kateivs’ (pretty) picture with an avatar or something. I mean if she would just brighten it up it would help. I know she’s too modest to ask and it’s been bugging me for a while how dark it is. 

    • #12
    • May 25, 2012, at 8:12 AM PDT
    • Like
  13. David Knights Member

    EJ, that image is stolen from 1776 (one of my favorite movies) Do I win a prize?

    • #13
    • May 25, 2012, at 9:13 AM PDT
    • Like
  14. Profile Photo Member
    Boymoose: Please PLease PLEase PLEAse PLEASe PLEASE

    Improve the audio quality of this podcast!

    Ask yourself this … will a potential member join or continue to listen (even to Dennis Prager) if there is a live squirrel being chased across a desk?

    Please kill the squirrel and limit what sounds like multi-tasking. It will be interpreted as contempt for your audience which is not true of any host or guest on this podcast.

    Thanks for your otherwise excellent work. It is a highlight of my week. · 2 hours ago

    Edited 2 hours ago

    That sound of the squirrel being chased across the desk was Dennis’ minions trying to fix the audio. You win some, you lose some. For more Dennis but less echo, I recommend this edition of the podcast from last fall. 

    • #14
    • May 25, 2012, at 9:37 AM PDT
    • Like
  15. Boymoose Inactive

    Thanks Blue.

    • #15
    • May 25, 2012, at 10:01 AM PDT
    • Like
  16. EJHill Podcaster
    EJHill Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member
    David Knights: EJ, that image is stolen from 1776 (one of my favorite movies) Do I win a prize?  

    You win an avatar! Private message me an idea and it’s alllllll yours!

    • #16
    • May 25, 2012, at 10:12 AM PDT
    • Like
  17. Foxfier Inactive

    Depressing… Someone uses the phrase “Judeo-Christian values” and doesn’t have the basic response of “Well, the ten commandments are a good example, heard of those?” Dang, I know I’m a total trepenwitz, but I think I could manage that much!

    • #17
    • May 25, 2012, at 10:18 AM PDT
    • Like
  18. Foxfier Inactive

    Did some research (AKA, walked over and asked TrueBlue) and his response was to have his eyes go out of focus and basically say: “Wow… that is a HUGE category… I have no idea where to START. Um. Family? Not killing the victims, like with rape?” Once I suggested the Ten Commandments as a starting point, he agreed, but the point about people not knowing where to start has some point.

    • #18
    • May 25, 2012, at 10:32 AM PDT
    • Like
  19. EJHill Podcaster
    EJHill Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member

    James, nice rant on the Doctrinaire. You made it sound like an appliance maker…

    • #19
    • May 25, 2012, at 10:33 AM PDT
    • Like
  20. Caroline Thatcher
    Caroline Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member

    Because I can’t help repeating myself….Mahler over Bruckner any day.

    • #20
    • May 26, 2012, at 1:20 AM PDT
    • Like
  21. Peter Robinson Founder
    Caroline: Because I can’t help repeating myself….Mahler over Bruckner any day. · 1 hour ago

    Me too!

    • #21
    • May 26, 2012, at 2:28 AM PDT
    • Like
  22. Foxfier Inactive

    On second listening, I’m glad to see I’m not the only one that does that funky pause when audio bugs bring my words back to me a second or two later.

    • #22
    • May 26, 2012, at 3:04 AM PDT
    • Like
  23. ShellGamer Member
    ShellGamer Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member

    Stokowski vs. Bernstein was a lesser of evils question, right?

    Classical music fled East away from the Serialist. There are still wonderful classical composers in the Baltic States and Poland.

    I’d also defend the American “minimalists.” Certainly Glass and Adams have composed pieces that Bach might have appreciated.

    • #23
    • May 26, 2012, at 5:23 AM PDT
    • Like
  24. Peter Robinson Founder
    ShellGamer: Certainly Glass and Adams have composed pieces that Bach might have appreciated. · 2 hours ago

    Wow! What a claim! I’ve never heard anyone make quite such an assertion before. Could you name, let’s say, one piece each by Glass and Adams–with both of whom I’m totally unfamiliar–that you figure old man Bach would have admired? I’ll go straight to iTunes and have a listen.

    • #24
    • May 26, 2012, at 7:28 AM PDT
    • Like
  25. DLJessup Inactive
    DLJessup Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member

    James, I have to disagree with you about having the government funding scientific research. I used to have that same belief, that the government needed to fund basic research, and then I read a book called The Economic Laws of Scientific Research by Terence Kealey, which makes a pretty good argument that the traditional model of:

    basic research → technology → profit!

    is just wrong and that one of the reasons that the UK and US did so well technologically in the 19th century compared to continental Europe was that, unlike the Europeans, the UK and US didn’t have government funding of science. Since then, I’ve also watched how government money has corrupted climatic science and how NASA basically brought manned spaceflight to a screeching halt for a generation, to name just two examples where government is retarding science with its funding.

    I do think that the government needs to fund science that has military applications, and I certainly think money spent on science is less damaging than most other government spending, but I think we’ll do better without it.

    • #25
    • May 26, 2012, at 8:03 AM PDT
    • Like
  26. ShellGamer Member
    ShellGamer Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member
    Peter Robinson
    ShellGamer: Certainly Glass and Adams have composed pieces that Bach might have appreciated. · 2 hours ago

    Wow! What a claim! I’ve never heard anyone make quite such an assertion before. Could you name, let’s say, one piece each by Glass and Adams–with both of whom I’m totally unfamiliar–that you figure old man Bach would have admired? I’ll go straight to iTunes and have a listen. · 15 hours ago

    Unfortunately I’m away from home and don’t have a good memory for titles. So I’ll be back to you. Meanwhile, give a listen to Glass’s 2nd string quartet.

    • #26
    • May 26, 2012, at 10:39 AM PDT
    • Like
  27. Joseph Stanko Coolidge
    Joseph Stanko Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member
    Peter Robinson

    Wow! What a claim! I’ve never heard anyone make quite such an assertion before. Could you name, let’s say, one piece each by Glass and Adams–with both of whom I’m totally unfamiliar–that you figure old man Bach would have admired? I’ll go straight to iTunes and have a listen. · 4 hours ago

    My favorite Philip Glass work is the soundtrack to Koyaanisqatsi. The best way to experience it is to watch the film, which is excellent as well.

    • #27
    • May 26, 2012, at 11:34 AM PDT
    • Like
  28. Douglas Inactive

    Excellent episode, and Prager was spot on pretty much with everything. Can’t agree with him enough about music trends and the culture and how movie composers basically ARE our modern classical music providers now. Not only do I second him on John Williams being a great composer, but so was Jerry Goldsmith and several others. I’m purging myself more and more of pop culture as the years go by, and as an example of where I’m going, I love some of Danny Elfmann’s film scores… especially the Batman stuff… but like practically none of his rock stuff with Oingo Boingo. Give me the Lord Nelson Mass over Lady GaGa any day. Give me Tchaikovsky over Talking Heads. Give me Rimsky Korsakov over the Rollins Band.

    • #28
    • May 26, 2012, at 11:47 AM PDT
    • Like
  29. ShellGamer Member
    ShellGamer Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member
    Peter Robinson
    ShellGamer: Certainly Glass and Adams have composed pieces that Bach might have appreciated. · 2 hours ago

    Wow! What a claim! 

    Peter, I’ll assume your still monitoring the thread, and promise to answer your question (although Jospeh certainly anticipated part of the answer). But first I want to clarify my claim.

    I’m not a musical theorist, but I as I understand it, one standard techique of American minimalism is to take several musical phrases and, using different tempos and progressions, overlap them so has to create changing tonal patterns. This approach is very common in Steve Reich’s music. For more information, check.

    Bach was the master of fugues and passacaglias that are similar techniques and can produce similar results. So I don’t think it unreasonable to suggest that, were Bach alive, he might be interested in the technique and appreciate the results. But I don’t mean to assert that the music is comparable to Bach’s–little is.

    • #29
    • May 27, 2012, at 10:30 AM PDT
    • Like
  30. ShellGamer Member
    ShellGamer Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member
    Peter Robinson. Could you name, let’s say, one piece each by Glass and Adams

    I guess I’ve already given one by Glass, the 2nd String Quartet. But I’d also suggest Metamorphosis Two, and Pruit Igoe and Prophecies from Koyaanisqatsi.

    Unfortunately, my favorite Adams example is no longer available. I have a wonderful Super Audio CD with Lepo Sumera’s 2nd Symphony and Adam’s The Chairman Dances. My collections begins with The Tallis Scholars singing Josquin des Pres’s Missa Pange lingua, which exemplifies the promise of polyphony. The Sumera/Adams CD bookends the collection, showing that the promise lives on.

    You can get the pieces separately, so I’d recommend that. Sumera is an example of how the symphonic tradition moved to Eastern Europe.

    An alternative Adams would be China Gates. I’ve been at a live performance of On the Transmigration of Souls that left many in the audience in tears, but was not moved myself to obtain a recording. I hope that you find at least a few of these worth the money for the download.
    • #30
    • May 27, 2012, at 11:11 AM PDT
    • Like