
The Ricochet Podcast
Weekly episodes of Ricochet’s flagship podcast feature our hosts James Lileks, Rob Long, Peter Robinson, and guests discussing the issues of the week.Listen to The Ricochet Podcast, along with more than 40 other original podcasts, at Ricochet.com. No paid subscription required.
Latest episodes

Apr 12, 2024 • 1h 3min
Realty Check
James Lileks is back in the house, ladies and gentlemen! And speaking of houses, Jack Ryan joins the podcast to explain his war against the National Association of Realtors. (Pre-order your copy of the book he's co-authored: Bringing Adam Smith into the American Home: A Case Against Home Ownership.) Yes, you read that title correctly. Along with his fight against the "real estate cartel," Jack has his doubts that home ownership is the right move for all Americans. Plus, the reunited Ricochet boys recall how the O.J. Simpson trial changed America, and they fight fire alarms and wrangle with manly chores. - Audio from this week's open: A flashback to the 1995 OJ Simpson trial with comedian Norm Macdonald and defense attorney Johnnie CochranToday's podcast was sponsored by Fast Growing Trees & ZBiotics: https://fastgrowingtrees.comUse code RICOCHET to save an additional 15%.https://zbiotics.com/ricochet

Apr 5, 2024 • 1h 1min
Earthquakes and Political Shaking
AEI's Matthew Continetti joins the Ricochet Podcast to discuss the internecine fight over the future of conservatism and the Democratic Party's abandonment of Israel. Plus, Peter and Rob have a bit of fun with earthquakes and hippie terrorists; swap lab leak theories and cheer themselves up with a reminder of the country's abiding unsung heroes.- This week’s audio: NYC Mayor Eric Adams on this morning’s earthquake.

Mar 29, 2024 • 1h 9min
About the Lamb, Not the Ham
Author and political commentator Andrew Klavan returns to discuss antisemitism, Christ as King, poetics, political persuasiveness, and the right's conveyance of truth. The podcast also includes reflections on centrist Democrat Joe Lieberman, the power of container ships in economic game changers, and more.

Mar 22, 2024 • 1h 1min
When Bureaucrats Gather
Richard Epstein brings his encyclopedic knowledge to help break down some of the pivotal matters being debated in Congress and before the Supreme Court. Plus, James and Rob look back on the Covid lockdowns four years later, along with Minneapolis' move against Uber and Lyft.

Mar 15, 2024 • 57min
The Visual Fallacy
Thirty years back, filmmaker Whit Stillman charmed audiences with a comedy about two Americans abroad in chaotic Cold War Europe. He joins Rob, James and Peter to discuss his movie Barcelona, cinema as an artform and as a business, and reasons for hope regarding its revival as a crowd-pleaser. Plus: Rob's returned from Morocco, Peter's got big news, and James has a plan for the post-CCP TikTok.- Soundbites from the opening: Chris Eigeman and Taylor Nichols in Barcelona; Bob Hope at the Academy Awards in 1968; and Brendan Fraiser at the Oscars on Sunday.

Mar 8, 2024 • 57min
Ancient Ideas and the Spectacle of the Union
In this podcast, they discuss the State of the Union address and the erosion of enumerated powers doctrine. They talk about TikTok's ties to China, hopes for overruling the Chevron doctrine, Oscar reviews, and an ode to old Hollywood. The conversation also covers concerns about TikTok's security, movie critiques, and the new search feature on Ricochet's website.

Mar 1, 2024 • 1h 4min
Drunken Monkey Business
This week the Three Whiskey Happy Hour gang join James for a riotous good time, even as discuss and debate their beloved nation's precarious situation. They cover Joe Biden's visit to the border, Donald Trump's appeals to the Supreme Court, the latest on the war in Gaza, and a silly journalist's constitutional illiteracy. Plus there are whiskey recommendations and a must-hear story about apish antics on the high seas.And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to the Three Whiskey Happy Hour podcast, available at Ricochet.com.- Soundbite from this week: dueling press conferences in Texas between the current and previous occupant of the Oval Office.

Feb 23, 2024 • 1h
Accept NO Imitation
The forces against free speech are at again! Whether or not you've heard of NewsGuard or the Global Disinformation Index, rest assured that they're intently interested in where you get your information. Joining Peter, Rob and James today is David DesRoisers, Publisher of RealClearPolitics.com, whose scrupulously down-the-middle site was flagged by the groups above as a 'disinformation site,' and has lost a great many advertisers as a result. David's here to remind us of the threats institutions like these are to a free press and a free society.The guys also have thoughts CPAC and Google Gemini.- This week’s audio is from Donald Trump’s townhall with Laura Ingraham on Fox News

Feb 16, 2024 • 1h 1min
Rock Me Amadeus
We've got a special number for ya, folks. Instead of a guest or even politics, Charles Cooke, James Lileks and Peter Robinson talk football and music. Tune in for a recap on the Super Bowl—get Charles' take on the season and theLileksian review of the game's ads; plus the two of them give Peter a serious crash course in post-Beatles pop music! Sound clips from the open are from the State Farm, BMW, CeraVe ads, along with The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964.

Feb 9, 2024 • 58min
Working Properly
We're reminded often to mind our "work-life balance", but perhaps that distinction is drawn too plainly. Today we hear from David Bahnsen, author of the just-published Full Time: Work and the Meaning of Life, who makes the case that what we do for a living means a great deal more than what today's wellness gurus would have us believe. They go over everything in between the midcentury trend toward retirement as the goal to the contemporary push to work in pajamas.On the flipside Peter, Rob and James discuss the latest reminder that Joe Biden is not up for the job he's got; and they dig into an unbelievable project to make ancient scrolls flash-fried by the Vesuvius eruption in the first century AD readable once again.- Audio this week: Biden defends his memory and then places Mexico outside of Gaza.
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