Political Beats

03:16:30

Episode 160: Eli Lake / Steely Dan

Political Beats ·

2026/08/20

Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with guest Eli Lake. Eli is a columnist for The Free Press, contributing editor at Commentary, and host of Breaking History. You can follow him on Twitter/x @EliLake. Eli’s Music Pick: Steely Dan In what is likely the last of our past episodes to be completely re-recorded, we present a totally new edition of our look at the music and career of Steely Dan. Jeff long has despised the sound of his microphone on

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02:45:12

Episode 159: Nic Rowan / Sleater-Kinney

Political Beats ·

2026/07/14

Scot and Jeff discuss Sleater-Kinney with Nic Rowan.Introducing the Band: Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with guest Nic Rowan. Nic is managing editor of The Lamp, a Catholic literary journal. You can follow him on Twitter/x @NicXTempore. Nic’s Music Pick: Sleater-Kinney When people talk about the greatest American rock bands of the past 30 years, the conversation usually starts in familiar places (we might say Spoon around these parts). But sooner or later, it

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02:41:27

Episode 158: Andrew Gretes / XTC [Part 2]

Political Beats ·

2026/05/31

Scot and Jeff discuss the second part of XTC’s career (1984-2000) with Andrew Gretes.Introducing the Band: Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with guest Andrew Gretes. Andrew is a fiction writer teaching creative rhetoric at Georgetown and George Washington University. You can find his work at andrewgretes.com. Andrew’s Music Pick: XTC, Pt. 2 Awaken you dreamers! A month after we took you through the first part of XTC’s career – an Argonaut-like journey across the

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03:04:40

Episode 157: Andrew Gretes / XTC [Part 1]

Political Beats ·

2026/04/30

Scot and Jeff discuss the first part of XTC’s career (1977-1983) with Andrew Gretes.Introducing the Band: Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with guest Andrew Gretes. Andrew is a fiction writer teaching creative rhetoric at Georgetown and George Washington University. You can find his work at andrewgretes.com. Andrew’s Music Pick: XTC There may be no language in our lungs to tell the world just how we feel about this band, but here we give you a three-hour

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02:57:39

Episode 156: Jack Butler / The Apples in Stereo

Political Beats ·

2026/04/03

Scot and Jeff discuss The Apples in Stereo with Jack Butler.Introducing the Band: Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with guest Jack Butler. Jack is deputy editor for Free Expression, a new newsletter about politics and culture from the Wall Street Journal opinion page. Previously he was submissions editor for National Review Online. You can follow him on Twitter/x @jackbutler4815. And unless you're a 2:30 marathoner, you probably can't follow him in real life —

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03:26:31

Episode 155: Ivan Pongracic / Deep Purple

Political Beats ·

2026/02/24

Scot and Jeff discuss Deep Purple with Ivan Pongracic.Introducing the Band: Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are joined by guest Ivan Pongracic, William E. Hibbs & Ludwig von Mises professor of Economics at Hillsdale College. Ivan has a career nearly as storied as Deep Purple’s -- a 1984 immigrant from the former Yugoslavia (Croatia, specifically), an accomplished professional surf guitarist, and now economics professor at Hillsdale. Ivan’s Music Pick: Deep

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02:30:09

Episode 154: Christopher Scalia / The Strokes

Political Beats ·

2025/12/25

Scot and Jeff discuss The Strokes with Christopher Scalia.Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with guest Christopher Scalia. Chris is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (But Probably Haven't Read), a perfect Christmas gift for your favorite person. Find him on X at @CJScalia.Christopher’s Music Pick: The StrokesThe Strokes emerged at the beginning of the 2000s with a sound that

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03:12:50

Episode 153: Sean Trende / Van Halen

Political Beats ·

2025/12/11

Scot and Jeff discuss Van Halen with Sean Trende.Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with guest Sean Trende. Sean is senior elections analyst at Real Clear Politics and visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. His new podcast with co-host (and fellow Political Beats guest) Jay Cost, is Stubborn Things. Find him on X at @SeanTrende.Sean’s Music Pick: Van HalenWait, haven’t we covered Van Halen before? Indeed, we have. Way back when

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02:17:04

Episode 152: Dominic Green / Iggy Pop & the Stooges

Political Beats ·

2025/11/03

Scot and Jeff discuss Iggy Pop & the Stooges with Dominic Green.Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are joined by guest Dominic Green. Dom is a historian and columnist, and he used to be a musician. He is a contributor to the Wall Street Journal and a columnist for the Washington Examiner and Jewish Chronicle. Check him out on Twitter at @DrDominicGreen.Dominic’s Music Pick: Iggy Pop & the StoogesLooooooooooord! When Dominic last joined us on

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03:12:11

Episode 151: Damon Linker / Tom Waits [Part 2]

Political Beats ·

2025/09/29

Scot and Jeff discuss the second part of Tom Waits’ career (1983-2011) with Damon Linker.Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are joined by guest Damon Linker. Damon is a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Pennsylvania, and publishes a Substack newsletter titled “Notes from the Middleground.” Follow him at @DamonLinker on Twitter.Damon’s Music Pick: Tom WaitsWe sail tonight for Singapore and we’re all as mad as hatters here

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02:43:52

Episode 150: Damon Linker / Tom Waits [Part 1]

Political Beats ·

2025/09/04

Scot and Jeff discuss the first part of Tom Waits’s career (1973-1982) with Damon Linker.Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are joined by guest Damon Linker. Damon is a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Pennsylvania, and publishes a Substack newsletter titled “Notes from the Middleground.” Follow him at @DamonLinker on Twitter.Damon’s Music Pick: Tom WaitsThere’s a world going on underground, and Political Beats is here

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03:11:50

Episode 149: Conor Friedersdorf / Jimmy Buffett

Political Beats ·

2025/08/05

Scot and Jeff discuss Jimmy Buffett with Conor Friedersdorf.Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are with guest Conor Friedersdorf. Conor is a staff writer atThe Atlantic, where he writes about politics and culture, with a focus on civil liberties, and he's the founding editor ofThe Best of Journalism, a newsletter on Substack where he highlights the best nonfiction that he encounters each week. Find him on X at @conor64.Conor’s Music Pick: Jimmy

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00:59:46

Episode 148: David Lowery Interview

Political Beats ·

2025/07/09

Your Political Beats hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) get the opportunity to spend a little more time with singer/songwriter/bandleader/advocate/professor David Lowery (@DavidCLowery)Now-frequent (two times is frequent, right?) Political Beats guest David Lowery returns to the show to talk about his magnificent new solo record Fathers, Sons and Brothers.For those unaware, David is the founder of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker as well as a long-time advocate for

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03:40:46

Episode 147: Tim Constantine / Bob Seger

Political Beats ·

2025/07/02

Scot and Jeff discuss Bob Seger with Tim Constantine.Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with guest Tim Constantine. Today you see him interviewing presidents and prime ministers on The Capitol Hill Show out of Washington, D.C., but Tim got his broadcasting start in rock radio when he was just 13 years old. Watch Tim Constantine's Capitol Hill Show and find him on X at @timconstantine1.Tim’s Music Pick: Bob SegerBursting out of the Detroit rock

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02:38:04

Episode 146: Jeff Pojanowski / Turnpike Troubadours

Political Beats ·

2025/06/03

Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are joined by guest Jeff Pojanowski. Jeff is a professor at Notre Dame Law School, where he teaches and writes about philosophy of law and legal interpretation. He also writes occasional columns for The Pillar. He has been living happily in Northern Indiana after escaping Washington, D.C., 15 years ago.Jeff’s Music Pick: Turnpike TroubadoursThis is a rarity for Political Beats, in which we present a show driven

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03:21:35

Episode 145: Andrew Stuttaford / Brian Eno

Political Beats ·

2025/04/29

Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are joined by Andrew Stuttaford. Andrew needs little introduction as the editor of NR's Capital Matters. Find him online right here at National Review or at @AStuttaford on Twitter/X.Andrew’s Music Pick: Brian EnoHere he comes, the boy who tried to vanish to the future or the past. Yes, it's time for Political Beats to celebrate one of the most influential musicians in the history of modern recorded sound -- a

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02:51:42

Episode 144: Steve Singiser / Def Leppard

Political Beats ·

2025/03/10

Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are joined by guest Steve Singiser. Steve is formerly a contributing editor at Daily Kos Elections and now is a contributor at The Downballot.Steve’s Music Pick: Def LeppardDo you wanna get rocked?If the answer is yes and the decade was the 1980s, it’s likely Def Leppard was at least partially responsible for the rocking. With two massive albums released four years apart, the band’s songs provided the

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02:46:38

Episode: 143: Eli Lake / Stevie Wonder [Part 2]

Political Beats ·

2025/02/05

Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are joined by guest Eli Lake. Lake is a columnist with the Free Press and also a contributing editor at Commentary. Find him online at the Free Press or @EliLake on Twitter/X.Eli’s Music Pick: Stevie WonderIt’s time to sing some songs in the key of life as we tackle the amazing and iconic second half of Stevie Wonder’s career. From his emergence as Motown’s first truly singular independent artist in in 1972,

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02:17:04

Episode 142: Eli Lake / Stevie Wonder [Part 1]

Political Beats ·

2025/01/02

Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are joined by guest Eli Lake. Lake is a columnist with the Free Press and also a contributing editor at Commentary. Find him online at the Free Press or @EliLake on Twitter/X.Eli’s Music Pick: Stevie WonderHappy New Year, everyone. 2024 was a mess, 2025 looks to be every bit as much of a mess, and gloom pervades the national mood. Therefore, it is high time for Political Beats to turn to Stevie Wonder and

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02:48:06

Episode 141: Mary Chastain / Stone Temple Pilots

Political Beats ·

2024/11/25

Introducing the Band:Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) are with guest Mary Chastain. Mary is a writer and editor at Legal Insurrection. She's also a sometimes contributor to The Hill, Washington Examiner, and Reason, and FEE. Mary is on X at @Mchastain81. Mary’s Music Pick: Stone Temple Pilots:This is another in a series of episodes (think Daryl Hall & John Oates and The Monkees) in which your hosts believe there is a reputation to be restored or repaired. In this

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