Scot and Jeff discuss Bob Dylan with Andrew Kirell, a senior editor at The Daily Beast overseeing breaking news, political media, and occasionally music coverage. Part 1 of 3. Introducing the Band: Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Andrew Kirll. He is a senior editor at The Daily Beast overseeing breaking news, political media, and occasionally music coverage. Follow him on Twitter at @ andrewkirell Andrew’s Music Pick: Bob Dylan : Following our ...
Aug 06, 2018•2 hr 56 min•Ep. 39
Scot and Jeff discuss The Beatles with Charles C. W. Cooke, editor of NationalReview.com and the author of The Conservatarian Manifesto . Part 2 of 2. Introducing the Band: Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Charles C. W. Cooke. He is the editor of NationalReview.com and the author of The Conservatarian Manifesto . Follow him on Twitter at @charlescwcooke Charles’s Music Pick: The Beatles: Charles returns to finish our lengthy conversation about t...
Jul 16, 2018•3 hr 14 min•Ep. 38
Scot and Jeff discuss The Beatles with Charles C. W. Cooke. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with guest Charles C. W. Cooke. He is the editor of NationalReview.com and the author of The Conservatarian Manifesto . Charles’s Music Pick: The Beatles There’s this band you might have heard of called The Beatles. It’s Paul McCartney’s old group. Anyway, if you’re not aware of them, or their music, Scot, Jeff, and Charles turn the spotlight on th...
Jul 09, 2018•2 hr 53 min•Ep. 37
Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Christopher Scalia. He is co-editor of Scalia Speaks : Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived , the New York Times best-selling collection of his late father’s speeches. He works at a public relations firm in Alexandria, VA, and has written reviews and political commentary for the Washington Post, NRO, Weekly Standard, Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter at @cjsc...
Jun 18, 2018•2 hr 39 min•Ep. 36
Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Jon Gabriel, co-host of the Conservatarians podcast and editor-in-chief of Ricochet . Follow Jon Twitter at @exjon . Jon’s Music Pick: New Order This week the gang gets pumped full of drugs as they discuss New Order, the rock legends who emerged from the ashes of Joy Division to spend an entire decade shaping the sound of modern dance music. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.a...
May 28, 2018•2 hr 20 min•Ep. 35
Scot and Jeff discuss The Velvet Underground with Mark Joseph Stern of Slate . Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with guest Mark Joseph Stern covers courts and the law for Slate . Follow him on Twitter at @mjs_DC, and find more here . Mark’s Music Pick: The Velvet Underground Scot, Jeff, and Mark find their respective mainlines and nearly overdose on a large helping of The Velvet Underground. Widely respected as one of the most influential ...
May 14, 2018•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 34
Scot and Jeff talk to Kevin Madden about Wilco. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Kevin Madden, Republican strategist, CNN Commentator and former advisor to President George W. Bush, Gov. Mitt Romney, Republican House Leaders John Boehner and Tom DeLay.” Follow Kevin on Twitter at @KevinMaddenDC . Kevin’s Music Pick: Wilco This week the gang gets a shot in the arm as they celebrate Wilco, one of the great genre-transcending A...
May 07, 2018•2 hr 19 min•Ep. 33
Scot and Jeff talk to Ellen Carmichael about Dire Straits. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar (@ EsotericCD ) with guest Ellen Carmichael, president of The Lafayette Company and contributor to National Review and Forbes . Follow her on Twitter at @ ellencarmichael , and find more here . Ellen’s Music Pick: Dire Straits Creators of one of the most iconic guitar solos (“Sultans of Swing”) and music videos (“Money For Nothing”) of all time, Dire Straits re...
Apr 23, 2018•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 32
Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Christian Schneider, columnist for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and USA Today . Follow him on Twitter at @Schneider_CM , and read his work here . Christian’s music pick: Pixies It’s time to gouge away as the gang attacks the Pixies, a band that was around for only a few short years (minus a 21st-century profit-taking reunion tour or two) but managed to influence an entire generation of musi...
Apr 16, 2018•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 31
Scot and Jeff talk to the WSJ ‘s Matt Murray about Talking Heads. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Matt Murray, executive editor of the Wall Street Journal and author of The Father and the Son: My Father’s Journey into the Monastic Life . Follow Matt on Twitter at @murraymatt . Matt’s Music Pick: Talking Heads This week the gang stops making sense as they tackle Talking Heads, a band that resolutely defies easy classificatio...
Apr 09, 2018•2 hr 37 min•Ep. 30
Scot and Jeff talk to Terry Teachout about The Band. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Terry Teachout, drama critic for the Wall Street Journal , author of the plays “Satchmo At The Waldorf” and “Billy And Me,” and author of, among others, The Skeptic: A Life of H.L. Mencken and Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington . Follow Terry on Twitter at @TerryTeachout , check out his excellent books of cultural and musical criticism here , a...
Apr 02, 2018•2 hr 38 min•Ep. 29
Scot and Jeff talk to Mark Davis about Paul McCartney and Wings. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Mar 25, 2018•2 hr 40 min•Ep. 28
Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with . . . no guest at all! Yes, this is a Very Special Episode of Political Beats, where the gang learns the true meaning of Christmas as well as a valuable lesson about the importance of friendship. In other words, this is PB’s first format-bucking episode where, instead of having a guest on to discuss their favorite artist, the subject is Scot and Jeff’s favorite cover songs of all time. And they’ve also...
Mar 19, 2018•2 hr 18 min•Ep. 27
Jeff and Scot talk to Jay Caruso about Foo Fighters. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Jay Caruso, editorial writer & board member at the Dallas Morning News and co-host of the Fifth Estate podcast. Follow Jay on Twitter at @JayCaruso , check out the Fifth Estate here , and read his most recent work here . Jay’s Musical Pick: Foo Fighters This week the gang dusts up the ashes from Nirvana’s auto-combustion as they cover F...
Mar 12, 2018•2 hr 12 min•Ep. 26
Scot and Jeff talk to Ezekiel Kweku about Talk Talk. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram (@ScotBertram) and Jeff Blehar (@EsotericCD) with guest Ezekiel Kweku, politics editor at New York magazine. Follow Ezekiel on Twitter at @TheShrillest, and read his work here. Ezekiel’s Music Pick: Talk Talk What if one of the most important, most rewarding bands of the 1980s was a band you had most likely never heard of, or knew only as a one-hit wonder? The gang argues this week for the genius of...
Mar 05, 2018•2 hr 18 min•Ep. 25
Jeff and Scot talk to Eric Garcia about AC/DC. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Eric Michael Garcia, reporter for Roll Call . Follow Eric on Twitter at @EricMGarcia , and read his work here . Eric’s Musical Pick: AC/DC The gang breaks out their schoolboy uniforms and disconcertingly tiny shorts as they get dosed with ten thousand volts of AC/DC, one of the quintessential hard-rock groups of all time. After an opening debate ...
Feb 19, 2018•2 hr 11 min•Ep. 24
Scot and Jeff talk to John J. Miller about The Police. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest John J. Miller, director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College and national correspondent for National Review. His latest book is “Reading Around: Journalism on Authors, Artists, and Ideas.” Follow John on Twitter at @heymiller , buy his book here , and read his work here . John’s Musical Pick: The Police The gang shows up wi...
Feb 12, 2018•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 23
Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Eli Lake, columnist for Bloomberg View. Follow Eli on Twitter at @EliLake and read his work here . Eli ‘ s Musical pick: Steely Dan From Brill to Can’t Buy A Thrill : the formative years Steely Dan tries to be an actual band, then thinks better of it: Countdown To Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic The transition into studio obsessionalism: Katy Lied and The Royal Scam Aja and Gaucho : from the perfec...
Feb 05, 2018•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 22
Scot and Jeff talk to Bruce Walker about The Monkees. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Bruce Walker, policy advisor for the Heartland Institute, contributor to The Federalist and host of the Acton Institute’s “Upstream” pop-culture podcast. Follow Bruce on Twitter at @BruceEdWalker . Bruce’s Musical Pick: The Monkees Here the gang comes, walking down the street, getting the funniest looks from everyone they meet as this week...
Jan 29, 2018•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 21
Scot and Jeff talk to Guy Benson about Billy Joel. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jan 22, 2018•2 hr 12 min•Ep. 20
Scot and Jeff talk to Karol Markowicz about Pulp. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Karol Markowicz, opinion columnist for the New York Post and elsewhere. Follow Karol on Twitter at @karol and read her work here . Karol’s musical pick: Pulp The gang has decided to meet up in the year 2018 and marvel at how strange it is now that they’re all fully grown and discussing Pulp, a fixture of both Karol’s and Jeff’s younger days ba...
Jan 15, 2018•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 19
Scot and Jeff talk to Fox News’s Julie Roginsky about Led Zeppelin. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Dec 25, 2017•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 18
Scot and Jeff talk to Fox News’s Stephen Miller about Oasis. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Stephen Miller, co-host of The Conservatarians podcast, opinion contributor to FoxNews.com, formerly of National Review and IJR. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @redsteeze and read his work here and here . Stephen’s Musical Pick: Oasis It’s time to break out the cigarettes and alcohol as the gang talks about one of the definitive Britp...
Dec 18, 2017•2 hr 9 min•Ep. 17
Scot and Jeff talk to Josh Jordan about Pearl Jam. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Josh Jordan, writer for various outlets. Follow Josh on Twitter at @NumbersMuncher . Josh’s Musical Pick: Pearl Jam Break out the flannels — it’s time for the gang to tackle a long overdue episode on Pearl Jam, the most durable (and arguably best — sorry, Nirvana fans) band of the famed Seattle grunge era of the ’90s. But Pearl Jam were so mu...
Dec 11, 2017•2 hr 23 min•Ep. 16
Scot and Jeff talk to Philip Wegmann about Creedence Clearwater Revival. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Philip Wegmann, writer for the Washington Examiner . Follow Phil on Twitter at @PhilipWegmann , and read his past work here . Philip’s Musical Pick: Creedence Clearwater Revival It’s high times on the bayou as the gang discusses Creedence Clearwater Revival, a band that sounded like it crawled out of the swamps of Louisi...
Dec 03, 2017•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 15
Jeff and Scot talk to Nicholas Confessore about Ryan Adams. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Nicholas Confessore, investigative reporter for the New York Times , writer at large for the NYT Magazine , and MSNBC contributor. Follow Nick on Twitter at @nickconfessore , read his past work here , and also please do set aside some time for this remarkable long-form piece here . Nick’s Musical Pick: Ryan Adams The gang is extremel...
Nov 20, 2017•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 14
Scot and Jeff talk to Michael C. Moynihan about The Smiths Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Michael Moynihan, correspondent for Vice News Tonight on HBO and member of the Fifth Column podcast , Follow him on Twitter at @mcmoynihan and read his past work both here and here . Michael’s Musical Pick: The Smiths “Is it wrong not to always be glad?” This is the question Jeff poses as the gang launches into Lucky #13: the long-awa...
Nov 13, 2017•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 13
Scot and Jeff talk to Anthony Fisher about Pink Floyd. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Anthony Fisher, writer/reporter for The Week, Daily Beast and others, producer of The Fifth Column podcast , and Writer/Director of the award-winning indie feature film “ Sidewalk Traffic ” — a comedy drama about new fatherhood, depression, and holding on to your dreams and letting go of your baggage. Available on iTunes, Amazon, Youtube,...
Nov 06, 2017•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 12
Scot and Jeff talk to Robert Dean Lurie about Hall and Oates. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Robert Dean Lurie, author of No Certainty Attached: Steve Kilbey and The Church and We Can Be Heroes: The Radical Individualism of David Bowie . Producer and performer on the tribute album The Dark Side of Hall and Oates . Read Robert’s work in the pages of NRO, the Federalist, and on his own website . Robert’s Musical Pick: Hall &...
Oct 30, 2017•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 11
Scot and Jeff talk to Jane Coaston about Nine Inch Nails. Introducing the Band Your hosts Scot Bertram ( @ScotBertram ) and Jeff Blehar ( @EsotericCD ) with guest Jane Coaston, formerly political writer for MTV news, now featured in the New York Times and ESPN News , among others. Follow Jane on Twitter at @cjane87 and read her (older) work here . Jane’s Musical Pick: Nine Inch Nails Perch those toasters precariously close to edge of the bathtub and prepare to slide into a downward spiral, as th...
Oct 23, 2017•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 10
