A week off did nothing to temper Lewis’s anger or his sense that history has folded in on itself. Twenty years of US intervention in an Asian nation and it all ends in an ill-planned fleeing on overcrowded flights. Kabul in 2021 or Saigon in 1975, either way the images of departing Americans should forever dispel any further imperialist notions. Your host has himself visited Afghanistan, having performed there on two USO tours. From his observations from flying over the country, it was obvious f...
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 53
After a nearly 500-day hiatus, due to the biblically cataclysmic global plague, Lewis made his “post”-pandemic performance debut. Was it outdoors? Yes. Was it in front of physically present live humans? Indeed! And while he may have had the comedy equivalent of the "twisties", the audience at the Chautauqua Institute could not have been more gracious or appreciative. All in all, a great way to get back on the road. Originally founded as a Methodist adult camp, the Chautauqua Institute is located...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 52
As the Delta Variant comes riding in like whichever of the four horsemen of the apocalypse represents Pestilence (it’s the white one), the Pandemic is turning downright biblical. And to paraphrase 1 Corinthians 13:11, the time for childish ways has ended, which means that if someone asks you if you've been vaccinated, answer the question like an adult. Yes or No. It's very simple. Too simple in fact for some Republicans in Congress who are afraid to say whether they have been vaccinated. In what...
Jul 28, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 51
There are 50 states in the United States, 50 ways to leave your lover, 50 is the age when you become eligible to join AARP, and this is episode #50 of Lewis Black’s Rantcast! Those 50 episodes have contained many recurring themes from impending and present climate catastrophe to the Covid-19 pandemic to rich people not wanting to pay taxes to the sclerotic machinations of a nearly psychotic nation whose politicians, particularly those who follow the former leader, cannot seem to escape from a ni...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 50
Three billionaires are currently in a race to get to space, of course there’s nothing more pressing to the people of earth right now than to have the news spend a Sunday morning talking about it. In a time when people are having trouble paying for healthcare or a house, we have the news giving us commercials for something only rich people can do. It’s conflicting, because while space exploration is important, this is such a weird time for this to happen. When we have a cracked system from the pa...
Jul 14, 2021•57 min•Ep. 49
Since the founding of the Republican party in the mid-1850s, politics has been dominated by a two-party system that clearly isn’t working too well anymore. Third parties have been tried before, from Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party to Strom Thurmond’s Dixiecrats to Ross Perot’s Reform party to current incarnations like the Libertarian Party and the Green Party. None have achieved much lasting electoral success. So, given the current state of American politics, the time may now be right for the...
Jul 07, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 48
Do you follow @TheLewisBlack on Twitter? If not, you may have missed one of his recent posts about the irony of Senate Republicans voting to not vote about voting rights, thereby killing (for now) HR 1. The usual reactionary backlash emerged as some in the Twitterverse did not get the joke, or were under the impression that what Lewis says has an actual impact on what happens in the halls of Congress. The point was that if it’s so important to Republicans that this not become the law of the land...
Jun 30, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 47
Did you know that the rubber chicken is not just the mascot for the Rantcast, he is also an accredited member of the press? Along with many news outlets, the rubber chicken can officially report that, in a huge surprise, rich people do not pay taxes. The bird’s usual beat is natural resources, and while on a failed fact-finding trip to Washington, he witnessed Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) espouse two utterly confounding theories about the climate crisis. First, in a House committee meeting, the ...
Jun 16, 2021•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 46
As the collective COVID-induced confusion begins to abate (maybe), one thing has become abundantly clear: the tolerance for nonsense and magic thinking in the country has reached new heights. From the Federal government to state legislatures to your host’s humble center-of-the-universe metropolis, the onslaught of balderdash, hogwash, and malarkey rampages unabated. It starts with the former leader’s delusional warblings about the election having been stolen, which has unleashed a torrent of sta...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 45
While there is an effort afoot to add our nation’s Capital as a new state, it may be time to let certain other states to secede. The Lone Star state is high on the list to go their own merry way. There are myriad reasons for this, but it starts with the Republican-controlled legislature, who took it upon themselves to honor the sacrifices memorialized on Memorial Day by passing extremely restrictive voting rights laws (enactment TBD). As if infringing the rights of voters wasn’t enough, they als...
Jun 02, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 44
As the unofficial start of summer approaches, and we emerge (maybe) from the pandemic, now may seem like the time for hope and optimism. This is not the place for that. Instead, as your host points out, we are living in a continuous Sisyphean loop of politics, where just as it seems we may actually get something done, the boulder of democracy comes rolling back down. Among the things Congress is not getting done: infrastructure, voting rights, and a Jan. 6th insurrection commission. They have pl...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 43
Lewis continues his southern sojourn, this time from multiple undisclosed locations in the Tar Heel state. And while the eastern seaboard dealt with the gas shortage, Lewis has a diagnosis for the true cause of what ails America: an intelligence shortage. As evidence: hoarding gas because people thought there was a gas shortage caused the gas shortage. As a sidebar, Lewis thinks all squirrels are rabid, based on no proof, which is confirmation of his own intelligence shortage. It’s OK, because h...
May 19, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 42
This week’s Rantcast comes from an undisclosed location in the Tar Heel State, aka North Carolina, where Lewis has traveled to hit the links and visit supermarkets. Did you know that the 12th state’s motto is esse quam videri , Latin for “to be, rather than to seem”? It’s advice that many of our lawmakers have never learned, as from coast to coast “seem” has taken on a higher value than “be”. There’s no need for a resume anymore, BS alone can see you through to the highest reaches of government....
May 12, 2021•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 41
After a one-week dental surgery-induced hiatus, the Rantcast is back! A lot happened in that interval, but the eternal question remains: when will we ever get back to being smart? That time is clearly not now as the stupid train rolls on, this time stopping at the door of Rick “Google It” Santorum. The former Pennsylvania Senator propounded the inanity that there was nothing of significance happening on this continent before white Europeans arrived. He seems to be forgetting both the fact that m...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 40
Back when Lewis was barely AARP age-eligible, US forces invaded Afghanistan and now, nearly 20 years later, your esteemed host is fully qualified for Social Security. And come September, the US military will have fully withdrawn from the Central/South Asian Republic. What did it all mean? Did the US occupation amount to anything? From having done three USO tours there, Lewis has some personal observations: The experience of being there was a truly life-changing experience, akin to an insane LSD ...
Apr 21, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 39
Many subjects divide the denizens of the United States and the list easily comes to mind. Now, we must add the legendary rubber chicken to our culture war. Some consider the chicken’s caterwauling the epitome of crass comedic laziness, while others, including your host, believe that the rubber chicken is a celebrated figure in the history of comedy going back to at least the Vaudeville era as a gag mainstay. Also, Lewis couldn’t afford a real sidekick. In other areas of American division, there ...
Apr 14, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 38
The signs of spring and renewal are in the air, as Lewis forgoes celebrating Passover and Easter isn’t his thing either. So, no hunting for eggs and no mom’s brisket (not a big loss as Jeannette’s version involved boiling the meat until it was the consistency of rubber). Another sign of spring comes from the start of the baseball season, where Lew’s Baltimore Orioles opened the season with a sweep of the hated Boston Red Sox. Despite this early season success, they are still an insult to birds n...
Apr 07, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 37
Another week, another mass shooting. And Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) had a completely inappropriate, but totally within character response, wherein he disingenuously claimed that any attempt to curtail gun violence can be seen as mere theatrics. (It bears repeating that Sen. Cruz attended Princeton and Harvard Law School and their admissions departments have a lot of explaining to do.) The parade of bad faith policy making rolled on, this time in the Peach State, where Georgia Republicans passed a 90-p...
Mar 31, 2021•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 36
The madness in America continued this week on many levels and in many forms. Spring breakers descended on Miami causing chaos of near catastrophic proportions. No masks, no problem, as the Florida free-for-all mentality meant that everything was allowable, as long as someone was making money from it. March Madness, a.k.a. the NCAA Tournament began and Lewis felt guilty for watching but it provided a necessary distraction. What did he need a distraction from? The sinister madness, the one that le...
Mar 24, 2021•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 35
Another week, another Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) verbal inanity. This time he claimed he was more afraid of Black Lives Matter and Antifa, than the insurrectionists who actually attacked the Capitol on January 6th. In further "I'm Just A Bill" news, the American Rescue Plan passed and was signed into law by President Biden, all without a single GOP vote, leaving Lewis to wonder what exactly Republican lawmakers think their job in Washington is. Helping the American people doesn't seem to be it. Thi...
Mar 17, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 34
Congress managed to actually pass a law, the American Rescue Plan, but not before Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) used valuable legislative time to have the full text read on the Senate floor, rather than discuss why he’s opposed to it. The House also passed the For The People Act, and Lewis, a voting rights ambassador for the ACLU, has some choice words for those who act to restrict the franchise. Also, something happened with Meghan and Harry and Oprah. This rants this week include an interesting pers...
Mar 10, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 33
The rubber chicken joins the fight for $15, as the junior senator from Texas, fresh off his quick sojourn to Cancun, popped up at the CPAC convention. Ted Cruz was in Orlando alongside the former leader and a mob of maskless minions, all there to pretend that Joe Biden isn’t president and that nothing happened at the Capitol on January 6th. Sen. McConnell, now the minority leader, plays it both ways in the fallout of impeachment number 2, showing that there is no issue he can’t squirm his way cl...
Mar 03, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 32
Just when its citizens needed help the most, Texas leaders take vacations and Lewis has a few thoughts about leadership from Ted Cruz on down. Speaking of leadership, our former Leader is having a bit of an issue with his tax returns, but that’s okay! According to Q-Anon he’s going to assume the Presidency again on March 4th, hooray! This week users brought Lewis yet another constitutional amendment followed immediately a risk analyst who really wonders about the liability 55 gallons of personal...
Feb 24, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 31
The rubber chicken might be running for a Senate seat in 2022 because we all know it would’ve voted to impeach had it been in office. The second impeachment of our leader brings back memories of when Lewis was involved in an impeachment during his college senate years. After thinking about it, that might’ve been the moment he realized he wanted to pursue a career in comedy. This past week brought the birthday of Lewis’ father so he was reminded of a moment about a prejudice epiphany as the passi...
Feb 17, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 30
This week, Lewis is surprised to learn he was “selected” as a COVID-19 benefit winner. After reading that email, he also might know a Saudi prince that wants to give him millions of dollars as well, okay!? The second impeachment of Donald Trump is underway and if the incompetence of members of Congress doesn’t make you mad, you might just not be paying attention. But it’s not all bad news! After too long a delay, Lewis’ mother will finally get her vaccine this week and the fine folks at the NFL ...
Feb 10, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 29
We have new conspiracy-theory embracing people in Congress and Lewis is seriously considering running the rubber chicken for office. Why not? It can’t do any worse. When are we going to declare enough is enough? Lewis’ mother finally got her stimulus check, but not in check form because nothing can be easy these days. For the rants, Lewis received some more user-submitted rants and the start off with two back-to-back ones in different countries that both tackle the McDonald’s drive-thru. Additio...
Feb 03, 2021•40 min•Ep. 28
Well, we have a new administration in White House but our outgoing Leader departed in an interesting manner, would we have expected anything else? Lewis also received his COVID vaccination this week and tells the story. While the loss of Hank Aaron stings losing Larry King was a bit more personal for Lewis since he’s been on Larry's show and did a benefit for the Larry King Cardiac Foundation. While the live rants this week take us to Conchord, NH fans also submitted their quest to get the vacci...
Jan 27, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 27
It's Inauguration and Inoculation Day for Lewis as he's celebrating the peaceful transfer of power with a needle in his arm. Just perhaps it will be enough to get rid the vibe of the last 4 years have generated. The bus is not rolling this week but that just allows for an episode of fresh listener-submitted rants. Some people have the state of affairs on their mind and let them rip, while others would rather bide their time by simply airing their grievances about Fitbits or the classic terrible ...
Jan 20, 2021•49 min•Ep. 26
The United States had a really dark week and like many of us Lewis is grappling with how to make sense of it. One thing is certain, he knows there are plenty to blame on the assault on our democracy and he has their numbers. As do many of the people submitting rants, from serious inquiries about how to explain it all to a child, people still not taking the pandemic seriously, the red tape our healthcare system provides, and a man from Iowa who was part of a COVID test group. Before you think thi...
Jan 13, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 25
Happy New Year! The year is 2021 - has the ticking over of the new calendar solved all of our problems yet? Probably not, and like many of us Lewis is trying to hold on as best as possible. Which is tough, because the world and its leaders are doing their best to throw the worst at us. And you know things are truly crazy when his Washington Football Team wins its division. Luckily we have some great listener-submitted rants that prove we're not all losing our minds. Then we roll into Shippensbur...
Jan 06, 2021•57 min•Ep. 24
