Time Magazine columnist for 20 years, Joel Stein is known for his humorous, irreverent and often deadpan inquiries into American life and social politics. His latest book is In Defense of Elitism: Why I'm Better Than You and You're Better Than Someone Who Didn't Buy This Book, which despite the subtitle, is a serious minded, though also quite funny, journey ... Show More
Apr 7
The Truth About Street Homelessness
This week's guest is Estela Lopez, Executive Director of the LA Downtown Industrial Business Improvement District, which encompasses Los Angeles's Skid Row. With 25 years on the job and a lifetime in the neighborhood, Estela is one of the most clear-eyed, unsparing voices when it ... Show More
1h 16m
Oct 2022
Introducing Story of the Week
Every week host Joel Stein picks a long magazine article that fascinates him – and then actually reads the whole thing, all by himself. Then he calls his fellow, but greatly superior journalist friend who wrote it, and gets them to tell him all about it. He does the work and you ... Show More
2m 24s
Dec 2021
Timeless Wisdom for Leading a Life of Love, Friendship and Learning
<p>“Today, we are supercompetent when it comes to efficiency, utility, speed, convenience, and getting ahead in the world; but we are at a loss concerning what it’s all for,” Leon Kass writes in his 2017 book “<a href="https://www.encounterbooks.com/books/leading-worthy-life/" ta ... Show More
1h 5m
May 2022
Joel McHale: Work the Jokes
<p>It's a meandering world of comedy when Joel McHale joins Rob Lowe. On today's episode you'll find out about the evolution of Talk Soup, the obstacles Joel has faced with his Dyslexia, how The White House correspondents dinner rewired his nerves, and the joke that hurt Robert D ... Show More
45m 41s
Apr 2021
Your Success Probably Didn’t Come From Merit Alone
<p>Prepping for a conversation with Tressie McMillan Cottom is intimidating. McMillan Cottom is a sociologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, a 2020 MacArthur fellow, co-host of the podcast <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hear-to-slay/id1549004673 ... Show More
1h 22m
Sep 2020
Patrons Only: Jesse Interviews Philosopher Justin Tosi On Moral Grandstanding, The Social-Justice Culture Wars In Philosophy, And More
In today's patrons-only episode, Jesse interviews Justin Tosi, a philosopher at Texas Tech University and the author, with Brandon Warmke, of the new book Grandstanding: The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk. After discussing the book, Jesse and Justin move on to a broader conversation ... Show More
1h 9m