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.
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1:01:48
The Politics of Public Art and a Plan for Cultural Renewal
Chris talks to Fisher Derderian, founder and executive director of the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation, about how politics and patronage shape American art. How did the CIA use abstract expressionism as a cultural weapon during the Cold War? How have culture-shaping institutions and public funds moved from supporting artistic greatness to enforcing political compliance? How can more supporters of cultural excellence reform existing institutions—and create their own? Plus, Fisher shares his thoughts about the great Sir Roger Scruton.Show Notes:· Fisher’s Substack, Dux Culturae· Fisher’s non-profit, The Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation· The art of Jacob Collins and the Grand Central Atelier· Oh, and Chris’s book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read), is available to pre-order on Amazon!This episode is brought to you by BizniCorps: navigating enterprise solutions for greater value-add! Special thanks to AEI’s Maggie Obriwin for making the last ten minutes sound less like a lo-fi indie record from the early 2000s. Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.
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1:03:11
Presidents and the Power of Popular Culture
Tevi Troy, a senior fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute, talks to Chris about his books The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry (Regnery History, 2024) and What Jefferson Read, Ike Watched, Obama Tweeted: 200 Years of Popular Culture in the White House (Regnery History, 2013). Tevi explains how different titans of the entertainment industry—the Warner brothers, Lew Wasserman, and Oprah Winfrey—developed and used relationships with such presidents as FDR, Reagan, and Obama. He also considers the different ways Joe Biden and Donald Trump have engaged with popular culture to develop their images and connect with voters. Plus, how did Tevi go from earning a PhD in American Civilization to working in the White House to becoming a presidential historian?Show Notes:Tevi’s newest book, The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of IndustryMore from Tevi about presidents and pop culture (C-SPAN)Follow Tevi on TwitterX: @TeviTroyICYMI: Chris’s conversation with Jonah Goldberg on The RemnantChris’s upcoming book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read)This episode is brought to you by Root & Branch Sheets: the only bedsheets designed specifically for unwanted guests! Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.
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47:31
Who Killed Beauty? The Demise of Art Deco and the Rise of Ugly Buildings
Megan Gafford joins Chris to discuss some of her recent writing about the fate of architecture in the 20th century. Art Deco was a beautiful, ornamental style that thrived in the United States in the 1920s and ‘30s. What happened to it—why did modernism displace it and what did we lose in the process? Plus, why do manifestos and fanaticism spoil art? Megan and Chris also discuss the architectural writings of Tom Wolfe, the new film The Brutalist, and why beauty matters in even the bleakest times. Show Notes:· Megan’s Substack, Fashionably Late Takes—don’t miss “‘America Was Supposed to be Art Deco’: When America abandoned beauty.”· Tom Wolfe, “The Building That Isn’t There” Part 1 & Part 2 (New York Times)· Follow Megan on TwitterX: @megan_gafford This episode is brought to you by the Gaza Largo Club—the Crown Jewel of Palestine!Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.
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1:13:34
A Legion of Horribles; or Cormac McCarthy, The Cannibal Owl, and the Art of Fiction
Novelist Aaron Gwyn joins the show to discuss the fiction of Cormac McCarthy. Why is McCarthy’s Blood Meridian a great American novel? What does Gwyn make of recent revelations about McCarthy’s personal life? Plus, Gwyn reads from and discusses his compelling new novella, The Cannibal Owl. What is the history, and what are the Comanche traditions, behind the work? Gwyn, who teaches creative writing and contemporary literature at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, also discusses how students have changed over the past twenty years, the most important advice he gives young writers, and his favorite Van Halen album. This episode is brought to you by the Gaza Largo Club—the Crown Jewel of Palestine!Show Notes:· “What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years?” (New York Times)· Aaron Gwyn’s course lectures on McCarthy’s Blood Meridian· Harold Bloom talks to Brian Lamb about Blood Meridian (C-SPAN)· B.R. Myers on Cormac McCarthy’s “andelopes”· “Cormac McCarthy’s Secret Muse Breaks Her Silence After Half a Century: ‘I Loved Him. He Was My Safety.’” (Vanity Fair)· Aaron Gwyn’s novella, The Cannibal Owl (Belle Point Press)· Method & Madness Podcast with Aaron Gwyn and Brad Kelly· Follow Aaron on TwitterX: @AmericanGwynOpening 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.
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