King of Stuff

Jon Gabriel is the undisputed king of stuff. He knows everything -- just ask him -- but is hungry to learn more. Jon chats with comedians, musicians, politicians, authors, professors and anyone else he can lure into his soundproofed bunker.

King of Stuff #187

Daniel Knauf: From Carnivàle to Astronauts

June 2, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Daniel Knauf

Daniel Knauf began in health insurance and wrote his way onto HBO with his groundbreaking series, Carnivàle. Since then he has written and produced The Blacklist and Spartacus: Blood and Sand among other projects. His latest creation is The Astronauts for Nickelodeon, working with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment. Jon and Daniel discuss the writing process, the entertainment business, and his hopes for the new series.

King of Stuff #186

Arthur Brooks on Happiness

May 26, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Arthur Brooks

For the past year, Arthur Brooks has been a Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School. Before that, he served ten years leading the American Enterprise Institute. He has written 11 books, including the bestsellers Love Your Enemies (2019) and The Road to Freedom (2012). He also hosts the Ricochet podcast “The Art of Happiness with Arthur Brooks.” Arthur and Jon discuss the science behind happiness and the wisdom literature that preceded it.

The intro/outro song is “Young Folks” by Peter Bjorn and John. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #185

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey: Reopening and Recovery

May 19, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Gov. Doug Ducey

Since February, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. This month, he methodically began re-opening the state’s economy. Jon asks him about what the near-term future holds, his collaboration with the White House and fellow governors, and why so many businesses are fleeing blue enclaves for the Grand Canyon State.

Before serving as governor, Gov. Ducey was elected state treasurer. Prior to that, he was in the private sector as the CEO of Scottsdale-based Cold Stone Creamery, taking it from a handful of local shops to nearly 1,400 stores spanning the globe.

King of Stuff #184

Scott Rank: History’s 9 Most Insane Rulers

May 12, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Scott Rank

Scott Rank, Ph.D., is the host of the History Unplugged podcast and today has released his latest book, History’s 9 Most Insane Rulers. As armchair psychologists question the mental health of our current politicians, this book shows how truly insane rulers are in a different category altogether. This is Scott’s 12th book and, when he isn’t writing or podcasting, he researches the history of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey.

The intro/outro song is “History Never Repeats” by Split Enz. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #183

Siraj Hashmi

May 5, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Siraj Hashmi

Siraj Hashmi is a writer and commentary video editor for the Washington Examiner. Before that, he was an editor for Red Alert Politics and an associate producer for SiriusXM Radio. Most importantly, Siraj created the all-powerful Twitter Phone Power Ranking. Jon and Siraj chat about the media’s #MeToo double-standard, reopening the country, the perils of tired Twitter, and compare the fasts of Ramadan and Orthodox Easter.

The intro/outro song is “Kennel District” by Pavement. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #182

Amber Athey

April 21, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Amber Athey

Amber Athey is the Washington editor of The Spectator, was the White House correspondent for the Daily Caller, and is a Tony Blankley Fellow at the Steamboat Institute. Jon asks Amber about the media silence around Joe Biden and Tara Reade, the types of women on Twitter, and how much longer the lockdowns can last.

The intro/outro song is “Not Too Soon” by Throwing Muses. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #181

David C. Lowery

April 14, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest David C. Lowery

David C. Lowery founded the legendary bands Camper van Beethoven and Cracker. He’s also a mathematician, writer, producer, professor, entrepreneur, and a member of Ricochet.com. (Please join!) Jon and David talk about his music, the industry in the age of COVID-19, and how streaming services affect the bottom line.

The intro song is “Take the Skinheads Bowling” by Camper van Beethoven and the outro (and David’s pick) is “What a Fool Believes” by EURINGER. Jon’s song of the week is “Alice Hyatt” by Damien Jurado. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #180

Shoshana Weissmann

April 7, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Shoshana Weissmann

Shoshana is the Senior Manager of Digital Media and a Policy Fellow at the R Street Institute in Washington DC — and a dominant presence on Twitter. She focuses on occupational licensing reform and has written for The Wall Street Journal and USA Today among others. Jon and Shoshana chat about dropping government restrictions all over the place, from localities and states all the way up to DC itself. We also talk about sloths.

The intro/outro song of the week is, “License to Confuse” by Sebadoh. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians this year, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #179

Locked Down

March 27, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

Jon Gabriel flies solo to discuss the developing Coronavirus lockdowns, a Twitter spat with a Senator, the perils of modeling, and the need for skeptics during an age of monothink. The intro/outro song of the week is “Locked Down” by Swedish band Turbonegro. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians this year, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #178

Michele Tafoya: Keep Calm and Carry On

March 20, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Michele Tafoya

Coronavirus and the reactions to it are causing a lot of stress in our daily lives. How we react to that pressure is crucial. Michele Tafoya is the Sideline Reporter for “Sunday Night Football” on NBC, following success with ESPN, ABC, and CBS. She also has become an advocate for the ancient philosophy of Stoicism and has helped spread it through the NFL. Jon asks Michele how Stoic principles help her through tough times and her perspective on the temporary shutdown of professional sports.

The intro/outro song of the week is, of course, “Stoic Resemblance” by The Helio Sequence. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians this year, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #177

Panic Is a Terrible Idea

March 13, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Jim Lakely

Preparation for Coronavirus is essential. Panic? Not so much. Jon welcomes his old friend from the blogging trenches Jim Lakely, now the Vice President and Director of Communications of the Heartland Institute, to discuss the media’s abysmal job at covering a pandemic. Prior to joining Heartland, Lakely spent 16 years in daily-deadline journalism, covered Capitol Hill, and was a member of the White House Press Corps for The Washington Times. Follow him on Twitter!

The intro/outro song of the week is, of course, “Panic” by The Smiths. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians this year, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #176

Benjamin Weingarten: Ilhan and Ingratitude

March 6, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Benjamin Weingarten

Benjamin Weingarten has written a new book titled American Ingrate: Ilhan Omar and the Progressive-Islamist Takeover of the Democratic Party, focusing on Minnesota’s favorite Squad member. Ben is a Senior Fellow at the London Center for Policy Research, Fellow at the Claremont Institute, and Senior Contributor at The Federalist. Follow him on Twitter!

The intro/outro song of the week is “Gratitude” by the Beastie Boys. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians this year, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #175

Go Ask Malice

February 28, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Michael Malice

Jon’s happy to welcome back Michael Malice, host of “YOUR WELCOME,” bête noire of Twitter, and author of both The New Right: A Journey to the Fringe of American Politics and Dear Reader: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il. We discuss Bernie’s hostile takeover of the Democratic Party, Trump’s chances in November, and the perfidy of the mainstream media.

The intro/outro song of the week is the 1999 live version of “One Way or Another” by Blondie. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians this year, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #174

Ask Me Anything!

February 21, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

Jon opened up Facebook and Twitter for “Ask Me Anything” questions and, wow, did he get a lot. From politics to the Navy to music to God to coffee, he covers it all in his first solo effort. Keep the conversation going by asking more questions in the comments for Jon to answer.

The intro/outro song of the week is “Ask” by The Smiths, of course. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians this year, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #173

Kate Hyde on Impeachment, Iowa, and Killing with Kindness

January 31, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Kate Hyde

Jon welcomes New York-based writer and A-list Twitter follow Kate Hyde. She was the news director of American Military News and a Penn State alum. We chat about impeachment, the Democratic primary, and cheeseburgers.

The intro/outro song of the week is “Kate Is Great” by The Bouncing Souls. Jon’s song of the week is “1992” by Beliefs and our special cameo guest’s song of the week is “Julia Take Your Man Home” by Wolf Parade. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians this year, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #172

Kevin D. Williamson: The Smallest Minority

January 24, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Kevin Williamson

Jon welcomes the brilliant Kevin D. Williamson to discuss his latest book, The Smallest Minority: Independent Thinking in the Age of Mob Politics. He’s a roving correspondent for National Review who’s written for many other publications, including The Atlantic for a brief time. We chat about the toxic nature of social media and the intoxicating nature of outrage.

The intro/outro song of the week is “New Minority” by Jeen. And to listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians this year, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #171

Amity Shlaes on the Great Society

January 17, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Amity Shlaes

Amity Shlaes is the author of Great Society: A New History, a sweeping revision of our last great period of governmental idealism, the 1960s. She is the presidential scholar at The Kings College in New York, chairs the board of trustees of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation, and previously wrote bestsellers The Forgotten Man and Coolidge. (You really need to read them all!)

The intro/outro song of the week is “Amity” by Elliot Smith. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #170

Qaseem Is Dead

January 3, 2020

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

With guest Kurt Schlichter

Trump greased the commander of Iran’s Quds Force and terrorist mastermind Qaseem Soleimani. Jon invites Kurt Schlichter to spike the football in the mullahs’ face, propose next steps, and ask why the media and Democrats are rooting for the bad guys. Kurt has authored several books, writes for Townhall Media, and hosts his own podcast, “Unredacted.”

The intro/outro song of the week is “The Queen Is Dead” by The Smiths. And to listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians this year, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #169

Top 5 Albums of the Year with Stephen Miller

December 20, 2019

Hosted by Jon Gabriel, Stephen Miller

Stephen Miller returns for The Conservatarians’ annual Albums of the Year podcast. Stephen hosts his own podcast on Versus Media. and you can follow him on Twitter here. All 10 songs in our “Best of 2019” list are on Spotify.

The intro/outro song of the week is “Bells” by The Vacant Lots. And to listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians this year, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

King of Stuff #168

Smart ALEC

December 6, 2019

Hosted by Jon Gabriel

While DC dithers, the real action is happening in the states. I attended the States and Nation Policy Summit this week, a conference organized by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The smartest local and national politicians and policymakers from Florida to Alaska shared how they’re improving the lives of their constituents. Here’s the lineup:

Gov. Scott Walker, Wisconsin
Rep. Mike Hill, Florida
Rep. Sharon Jackson, Alaska
Sen. Patricia Rucker, West Virginia
Joe Grogan, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Commissioner Andre Cushing III, Penobscot County, Maine
Kimberly Yee, Arizona State Treasurer
Del. Joshua Higginbotham, West Virginia
Rep. Vince Leach, Arizona
Lauren Chen, FreedomWorks and BlazeTV

The intro/outro and Jon’s song of the week is “Mainland” by Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. To listen to all the music featured on The Conservatarians, subscribe to our Spotify playlist!

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