

Prevail with Greg Olear
Greg Olear
On PREVAIL, a weekly interview podcast, the author and columnist Greg Olear discusses politics, world news, history, national security, foreign affairs, organized crime, dirty money, global corruption, and the fight for democracy with authors, journalists, academics, diplomats, researchers, and other expert guests. Every Friday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 14, 2023 • 1h 15min
Uh-Oh, Canada (with Max Fawcett)
Greg Olear is joined by Max Fawcett, the lead columnist for Canada’s National Observer and the host of the podcast “Maxed Out with Max Fawcett.” They discuss Justin Trudeau’s standing, when Canada might hold another election, opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, the state of Canadian fascism, UCP in Alberta, Alberta separatism, the Han Dong scandal, disinformation in the media, Joe Biden’s visit to Canada, and the best Canadian musicians. Plus: a new record label.Follow him on Twitter:https://twitter.com/maxfawcettSubscribe to his podcast:https://open.spotify.com/show/3rMDToj7tp6072nrHByha8?si=0a1d5240256c42d0Read his columns:https://www.nationalobserver.com/u/max-fawcett Subscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Would you like to tell us more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Mar 31, 2023 • 1h 4min
Between the Shaman and the Microchip (with Mark Plotkin)
Greg Olear is joined by the ethnobotanist Mark J. Plotkin, president of the Amazon Conservation Team, author of “Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice” and “The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know,” and the host of “The Plants of the Gods.” They discuss his career as an ethnobotanist studying the Amazon, the medicinal properties of plants and animals found there, “The Last of Us,” wine, beer, opium, psychedelics, and climate change. Plus: on top of spaghetti.Follow Mark:https://twitter.com/DocMarkPlotkinListen to his podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/plants-of-the-gods-hallucinogens-healing/id1549464922Visit his website:https://markplotkin.com/Buy his books:https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Mark+J.+Plotkin&i=stripbooks&crid=57486FKHKDLY&sprefix=mark+j.+plotkin%2Cstripbooks%2C71&ref=nb_sb_noss_1Support the Amazon Conservation Team:https://www.amazonteam.org/Subscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Would you like to tell us more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Mar 24, 2023 • 1h 20min
Nothing Lasts Forever (with Aja Raden)
Greg Olear is joined by Aja Raden, author of “The Truth About Lies” and “Stoned,” to talk about “Nothing Lasts Forever,” the new documentary about the diamond industry in which she appears. They also discuss “peak crazy,” the banking crisis, Elon Musk and the future of Twitter, the protests in Israel, the benefits of the two-party system, fascism, incels, and the difference between silicon and diamonds when making computer chips. Plus: a little dance number.Follow Aja on Twitter:https://twitter.com/AjaRadenBuy her books:https://www.amazon.com/stores/Aja-Raden/author/B013SJLVJIWatch the trailer for the documentary:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8hZWRMK9pESubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Would you like to tell us more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Mar 17, 2023 • 1h 12min
Settling Scores: F*ck Giuliani (with Nia Molinari)
Greg Olear is joined by the pseudonymous Nia Molinari, the retired stripper, screenwriter, mob watcher, and PREVAIL contributor, who tells her epic “F*ck Giuliani” story. They also discuss Tucker Carlson’s strange relationship with dead pimp Dennis Hof, an obscure Serbian crime lord now in police custody, the strip club landscape in 1999 NYC and how it correlated to the politics of the various crime families, and Rudy’s shady dealings over the last four decades. Plus: a bank you KNOW ain’t woke.Follow Nia on Mastodon:https://toad.social/@NiaMolinariSubscribe to her Substack:https://niamolinari.substack.com/aboutSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Would you like to tell us more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Mar 10, 2023 • 1h 24min
Biden Or Bust & What’s Up With Ohio (with Cliff Schecter)
Greg Olear is joined by consultant, commentator & writer Cliff Schecter, of the Blue Amp Channel. They discuss the current political climate, Nazis in Ohio, why the Dems would be crazy to not run Joe Biden again in ‘24, and the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. Plus: Evita Without Charisma.Follow Cliff:https://twitter.com/cliffschecterSubscribe to his YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/cschecterSponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/gregSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Would you like to tell us more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Mar 3, 2023 • 1h 3min
The Jokerfication of Tucker Carlson (with Kat Abughazaleh)
Kat Abughazaleh’s job at Media Matters For America, as she puts it in her Twitter bio, is to watch Tucker Carlson so we don’t have to. Greg Olear talks to her about MMFA’s mission, how she found herself watching many hours of primetime Fox News, what makes good content for the network, how Fox News coverage has changed since J6, all things Tucker Carlson, and Mike Huckabee’s Christofascist children’s books. Plus: a new song about a bad guy.Follow Kat on Twitter:https://twitter.com/abughazalehkatOn TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@katmabuOn YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@katmabuSupport Media Matters:https://action.mediamatters.org/secure/donateSponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/greg
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Would you like to tell us more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Feb 24, 2023 • 1h 16min
Madoff Talk (with Jim Campbell)
Bernie Madoff ran the largest Ponzi scheme in history – and he ran it for decades before finally getting caught. Greg Olear talks to Jim Campbell, author of “Madoff Talks,” about how he got access to Bernie and his family, his contribution to the Netflix docu-series “Madoff: Monster of Wall Street,” the complexity of the Madoff scheme, the failure of the regulatory agencies to identify and stop the fraud, and the similarities and differences between Bernie Madoff and Sam Bankman-Fried. Plus: a new get-out-of-jail-free card.Follow Jim Campbell:https://twitter.com/JimOCampbellVisit his website:https://madofftalksbook.com/Buy MADOFF TALKS:https://www.amazon.com/Madoff-Talks-Uncovering-Biggest-History/dp/126045617XSponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/gregSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Would you like to tell us more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Feb 17, 2023 • 1h 8min
SEASON PREMIERE: The Shifting Calculus of Covid-19 (with Katherine Eban)
Can the U.S. survive another pandemic? In the Season 5 Premiere, Greg Olear talks to Vanity Fair contributing editor Katherine Eban about the perils of the generic drug boom, her 2020 reporting on Jared Kushner and the botched pandemic response, and her current reporting on our preparedness to a potential new coronavirus outbreak.Follow Katherine Eban:https://twitter.com/KatherineEbanRead her reporting:https://www.vanityfair.com/contributor/katherine-ebanBuy her book:https://www.amazon.com/Bottle-Lies-Inside-Story-Generic/dp/0062338781Sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/gregSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Would you like to tell us more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Feb 10, 2023 • 1h 3min
Reprise: Strongmen: History Under Attack (with Ruth Ben-Ghiat)
Fascism is on the rise in the United States. Greg Olear talks to Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of history, expert on authoritarianism, and author of “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,” about Mussolini & Hitler, Putin & Trump, and the dictator’s “tools of rule.” Plus: a song about the new covid cure.Follow Ruth Ben-Ghiat:https://twitter.com/ruthbenghiatSubscribe to LUCID:https://lucid.substack.com/Buy STRONGMEN:https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324001546Subscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Would you like to tell us more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Feb 3, 2023 • 1h 26min
Reprise - Four Villains: “Shame Cometh” and Other Stories
In this reprise of a special episode, Greg Olear asks his talented friends Alison Weller, Robert Burke Warren, Diana Spechler, and Tom Gualtieri to read four of his narrative pieces on Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, and Vladimir Putin.Plus: a better SCOTUS steakhouse.Subscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Would you like to tell us more about you? http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short