Ross Benes, author of 1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times, joins Chris to explain how professional wrestling, video games, a face-painted hip-hop duo, and other low culture from 26 years ago can help us understand where we are today. Show Notes:· Ross’s website: https://www.rossbenes.com/· Ross on X: https://x.com/rossbenes?lang=en· Chris’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Novels-Conservatives-Will-Probably-Havent/dp/1510782397
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55:21
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55:21
Conservatives and Culture with Dana Gioia
In this special episode, the poet and critic Dana Gioia delivers a talk titled “Conservatives and Culture: A Failure of Imagination.” Recorded as a part of AEI’s American Dream Lecture Series, Gioia’s talk is an important assessment of why the right abdicated the arts, the disastrous consequences of that withdrawal—and how conservatives can reclaim the relevance they once had in American culture. “Conservatives need to have the skill and courage to live by their own values,” Gioia says. “It’s time for us to dare to say yes.” After his talk, Dana joined Chris for a conversation to dig deeper into the topic and fielded questions from the audience at AEI. Don’t miss it!Show Notes:· Video of the event· Dana Gioia’s website· Chris’s review of Dana’s poetry collection, Meet Me at the Lighthouse· Oh, and Chris’s book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read)!Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.
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1:15:52
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1:15:52
BOOK LAUNCH! 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read)
Chris introduces his brand-new book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read). Why should conservatives—or anyone—bother reading fiction? How did Chris select the novels to write about? And which ones did he choose, anyway? The answers to these questions, and many others, are finally revealed! Show Notes:Chris in The Dispatch: “Why Conservatives—and Everyone Else—Should Read Novels”Chris in The Washington Examiner: “Zora Neale Hurston and the Fate of the Black Conservative”The Ricochet boys talk to Chris about the book: “A Novel Approach” Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.
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56:13
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56:13
These Are the Days of Miracle and Wonder
Best-selling author Rod Dreher talks to Chris about his latest book, Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age. Rod explains why we’ve lost the ability to see the transcendent around us and how we can rediscover enchantment. What do UFO’s, demons, and beauty have to do with this? Listen and find out!Show Notes:Rod’s new book: Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular AgeRod’s Substack, Rod Dreher’s DiaryDocumentary version of Live Not By Lies on Angel.comChris’s book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read), available to order now!Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Hymn before Sun-rise, in the Vale of Chamouni”; Percy Shelley, “Mont Blanc: Lines Written in the Vale of Chamouni”Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.
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1:05:29
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1:05:29
My Brother the Priest
Chris’s brother, Father Paul Scalia, joins the show to discuss the significance of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter, and how Catholics in particular celebrate this most important (and for priests, most exhausting) week in the liturgical calendar. Father Scalia also recounts his road to the priesthood, shares his favorite Christian apologists and novelists, and discusses the state of the Catholic Church in America.Show Notes:· Father Scalia’s books: That Nothing May be Lost: Reflections on Catholic Doctrine and Devotion; Sermons in Times of Crisis: Twelve Homilies to Stir Your Soul (editor)· Father Scalia at The Catholic Thing· Chris’s book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read), available to order now!Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.
In The Back of the Book, host Christopher J. Scalia interviews writers, scholars, and other expert guests about culture and the arts.Listen to The Back of the Book, along with more than 40 other original podcasts, at Ricochet.com. No paid subscription required.
Österreich