House of Strauss

Matt Johnson is press coordinator for Direct Action Everywhere, the organization behind the animals rights protests that are disrupting Minnesota Timberwolves playoff games. I asked Matt about the protests and about Wolves owner Glen Taylor, the factory farming tycoon whom the protests are aimed at. Matt’s is a subculture I’m not entirely familiar with, so I wanted to ask some questions and get his perspective. What’s it like to trying to outfox the authorities at Target Center? What are the moral questions involved in his work? We address these topics and a lot more. Enjoy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

For the longer pods, I’m trying my best to find the most interesting people I can, even if their purview isn’t necessarily sports. Culture writer Rob Henderson, who’s gone from Red Bluff to the military and onto to the Ivy League, is one such person, and he’d qualify even without that idiosyncratic biography. Rob’s a great writer and one aspect of his focus is, of all things, television. We get into why and also what he’s thought about after close reads of Mad Men, Succession, and The Sopranos. Think you’ll enjoy this one. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

I recall Michael Moynihan saying that the benefit of working in journalism is that you can talk to anyone who fascinates you. It’s a good thing to remember, especially since, for all the modern era’s depravations, striking up a conversation is easier than ever. A few weeks back, I idly bought Chuck Klosterman’s new book on the Nineties and found myself fascinated by his insights and framing. Then, I figured I’d reach out and see if he wanted to chat. He was nice enough to oblige and the talk was great. Here’s our conversation, which I’ve decided to un-paywall. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

The Fifth Column co-host + Paloma Media co-founder stops by to discuss HBO’s Winning Time and finding success between ideological worlds. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

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Non sports content here…Top level Substacker Freddie DeBoer is back on HoS, I’m happy to say. We covered a lot of ground in this one, such as:* The meaning of the San Francisco school board recall* How and why the system is discriminating against Asian students* Why the post-Gawker NYC media set can’t digest political rebukes* Why are many of these people more anti-anti-woke than woke?* Why don’t writers talk about writing on podcasts? * Why Freddie doesn’t do Strunk and White concision style* The lack of sincerity in media Twitter This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

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Erich Schwartzel is a veteran film industry reporter who might have just written the most important book of the year (He’s a friend, but hey, the book is getting rave reviews). If you’re curious about the inside story of Hollywood getting coopted by China, by all means order “Red Carpet: Hollywood, China, and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy.” In this episode we discuss, among many other things: * China’s longterm thinking vs. our corporations’ short term thinking* What surprising kinds of content China’s government bans in films (Such as Jamie Foxx’s penis)* Does Erich respect the CCP? What are their strengths? * Why the NBA is different from Hollywood This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

Last time, we went serious. This time, we’re all over the place. We talked about, among other things:* Why Tjarks is an NBA lifer and I am not. * How basketball’s necessary unselfishness ironically inspires more selfishness.* Sports and warfare. * Kawhi Leonard and Gregg Popovich. * Chet Holmgren. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

Here’s the free audio version of this article. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe