Best Curt Vance Podcasts (2025)

1
Immigration Showdown in LA (w/ E. Tammy Kim) [TEASER] 5:37

18h ago5:37

5:37

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. Journalist Tammy Kim joins the pod to talk about the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles — and the raids that precipitated them. Further Reading: E Tammy Kim, "Immigration Protests Threaten to Boil Over in Los Angeles," The New Yorker, June 9, 2025. — "Inside the A…

1
Reagan, the Movie (w/ Jesse Brenneman) [UNLOCKED] 1:22:18

12d ago1:22:18

1:22:18

As the world falls apart — and we prep for our Buckley mega-episode with Sam Tanenhaus — we're unlocking this fun episode from late last year. Subscribe at Patreon.com/knowyourenemy to never miss an episode like this one. And please listen to Jesse's insane, hilarious, freakishly prescient (and fake) podcast Tech Talk. A palette cleanser for subscr…

1
Joe Biden's Betrayal [TEASER] 3:23

17d ago3:23

3:23

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. If you pay any attention at all to political news, it's been hard to avoid Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's recent bombshell of a book, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, which offers behind-the-scenes r…

1
Christopher Caldwell's Case Against Civil Rights 1:28:24

22d ago1:28:24

1:28:24

Attentive listeners will notice that this episode is about a book but isn't an author interview. That's because it's the first in a new occasional series of episodes that will be dedicated to books by conservative writers that we think are important — whether because a book articulates the right's approach to an issue or problem in an especially re…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 188 04/19/2024 59:59

26d ago59:59

59:59

Push Puppets - Similar Muck and The Mires - Overnight Delivery The Galileo 7 - Look Away GEN11 - HEART OF STONE The Bongos - Brave New World Bryan Estepa - Version Of Me Back To Zero - Your Side Of Heaven The Scientists -Frantic Romantic Bullet Proof - Tonight The Windbreakers -The Girl For Me Smyle - It's Gonna Be Alright The Tearjerkers - Syracus…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 187 04/12/2024 59:59

26d ago59:59

59:59

Hot Nun - Back of the Van The Supernaturals - Don't Let the Past Catch Up With You TOMMY TUTONE - WHITE FLAG DISTRICT 8 - ALL IS FORGIVEN The Genuine Fakes - Pay It No Mind Crossword Smiles - Falling All Over Myself The Headboys - Stepping Stones Turnaround - She's A Dreamer Young Moderns- She’s Got The Money The Sidewalks - Whoever Said That You W…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 186 04/05/2024 1:01:48

26d ago1:01:48

1:01:48

This week I dig into the PPO Archives for some of my favorite tracks. Lots of stuff that I bet it's been a while since you heard. Tune in!!By Curt Vance

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 185 03/29/2024 1:00:00

26d ago1:00:00

1:00:00

The Airport 77s - If It's On, I'm In The Blusterfields - Goodbye Misery Superchunk - Bruised Lung The Bablers - Where The Wind Blows Free The Bret Tobias Set - It Begins with a Lean The Spindles -Ride My Bike Fingerprintz- Who´s Your Friend The Rabies - If There Was a Way The New Toys - Say It The Spongetones - She Goes Out With Everybody Sniff and…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 184 03/22/2024 59:59

26d ago59:59

59:59

The Spindles - Rock For It The Amplifier Heads - We Just Don't Know Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin - GlamOrama Brad Marino - Girl, I Want You Hushdrops - Sound Off CMON CMON - Turn Off The Lights Four Eyes - Disengaged The Dazzlers - Lovely Crashes The Plugz - Electrify Me The Hollywood Squares - Hillside Strangler! 7'' (1978) Casper Giles McCloud - …

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 183 03/15/2024 1:00:00

26d ago1:00:00

1:00:00

The Rallies - Comes And Goes The Successful Failures - Party Down the Stairs Sorrows - Cricket Man Ryan Allen - I Should (But I Don’t Really Wanna) Bur - Do You Think The Blusterfields - Aren't You Glad The Balloons - No Time At All The Tickets - People Next Door The Zippers - He's A Rebel The Pretty Boys I'm Falling Contacts - Young Girls Blue - D…

1
Trump as Messianic Prophet (w/ Manvir Singh) [TEASER] 2:10

1M ago2:10

2:10

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. In a recent New Yorker essay, our guest, UC Davis anthropologist Manvir Singh, argues, "The Trumpian mystique echoes a dynamic that has occurred for centuries and across cultures. Its core ingredients—an alleged league of pedophiles, a godlike miracle worker, pr…

1
Did Podcasters Make Trump President? (w/ Andrew Marantz) 1:22:19

1M ago1:22:19

1:22:19

Among the many factors credited for Donald Trump's victory over Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race was one that, naturally, the hosts of Know Your Enemy took an interest in: podcasts. More specifically, "bro" podcasts—think Joe Rogan or Theo Von—seemed to be one reason why Trump continued, as he did in 2016 and 2020, to perform so well wit…

1
Conclave (2024) (w/ Brandon Taylor) [TEASER] 3:10

2M ago3:10

3:10

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. With the papal conclave convening in Rome to pick Pope Francis's successor, Matt and Sam are joined by novelist Brandon Taylor to discuss the 2024 film Conclave, directed by Edward Berger and starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Ross…

1
The Life & Crimes of Roy Cohn (w/ In Bed with the Right) 53:17

2M ago53:17

53:17

Recently Matt joined Moira Donegan and Adrian Daub of the excellent In Bed with the Right podcast to record what turned out to be two episodes about Roy Cohn—the "lawyer, closet case and ratfucker extraordinaire," as they describe him. These days Cohn is perhaps most infamous for being Donald Trump's lawyer and mentor, but this first episode focuse…

1
The Meaning of Pope Francis 1:24:24

2M ago1:24:24

1:24:24

The passing of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025 marked not just the end of a papacy but the end of an era in global politics. The moment in which Francis spoke before Congress a decade ago and identified Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and Martin Luther King as models of Christian moral witness feels like another universe — far from the cruel, cramped, s…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 182 03/08/2024 1:01:30

2M ago1:01:30

1:01:30

The Needmores - Lookin' Chris Church - She Looks Good In Black Silver Synthetic - Happy Ever After Nick Frater - Dreaming Of A Wonderland The While - Frozen To The Core Push Puppets - This Whole Endeavor Hot Dates -The Heart Of You The Rage - Girl Like You The Native Tounges - Can't Say Go The Lifesavors - Fourteen Indiscreet - American Nightmare T…

1
The Madness of Trump’s Tariffs (w/ John Ganz) [TEASER] 4:50

2M ago4:50

4:50

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy Speaking in the Rose Garden on April 2, or as he called it, "Liberation Day," President Trump unveiled his plans to impose a new minimum tariff on nearly every country in the world, along with country-specific "reciprocal" tariffs for those nations Trump deemed t…

1
UNLOCKED: How the Pandemic Changed Everything (w/ David Wallace-Wells) 1:49:58

3M ago1:49:58

1:49:58

In response to several requests from our (wonderful) Patreon subscribers, we're unlocking this episode from behind the paywall. Consider subscribing at Patreon.com/KnowYourEnemy to never miss an episode. March 2025 marked five years since the formal start of the pandemic in the United States, when the federal government declared the arrival and spr…

1
How the Pandemic Changed Everything (w/ David Wallace-Wells) [TEASER] 4:55

3M ago4:55

4:55

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy This month marked five years since the formal start of the pandemic in the United States in March 2020, when the federal government declared the arrival and spread of the novel coronavirus to be a national emergency. The official Covid death toll in the United St…

1
Becoming Elon Musk, Part Two 2:01:16

3M ago2:01:16

2:01:16

If there's ever been a Know Your Enemy subject worthy of two episodes, it is Elon Musk—currently the world's richest man, CEO and leader of several pathbreaking companies, ringleader of the Department of Government Efficiency, and (for now) Donald Trump's co-president. In other words, to understand what's happening in the United States during the s…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 181 03/01/2024 1:01:48

3M ago1:01:48

1:01:48

The Cynz - Heartbreak Time The Modbeats - Fairweather Friends Dom Mariani - Jangleland Marveline - Words Won't Come Librarians With Hickeys - Ship To Shore Sorrows - Never Mind Brandy - Treating Me Bad Musical Chairs- Because It's You Rave - Take Me To The Movies The Toasters - Stuck On You (1979) The Wet! - It's Allright (1980) The Sighs – She's N…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 180 02/22/2024 59:56

3M ago59:56

59:56

The Speedways - Visiting Hours The Spindles - How to Love Nick Frater - My Heart's In Stereo Creem Circus - Keepers Of The Good Mix Brian D'Addario - Till the Morning The Rallies - Comes And Goes (promo) True Hearts - All My Time The Spies - Bad Girl The Boys (UK) - Cool Toby Redd - More Time The Jags - Woman's World The Rattlecats - Back To Life G…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 179 02/15/2024 1:01:59

3M ago1:01:59

1:01:59

The Spindles - Ruthy Ann The Tearaways - Or Something Like That Steve Moss - Twice As Hard As Yesterday Brad Marino - On The Brink The Shang Hi Los - Monsieur Valentine The Laissez Fairs - Duke F 1842 The New Romans - Loving Touch (1980) The Girls - I Beg Your Pardon (1988) Klepto - Rock'N'Roll (1976) The Absolute Beginners - Southern Beat (1984) T…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 178 02/08/2024 59:50

3M ago59:50

59:50

Chris Church - Sit Down Mitch Linker - Sandbar SUPER 8 feat. Lisa Mychols - Pop Radio The Boltons - Over the Garden Wall Midnight Callers - Saturday Night The Blusterfields - Julie is Gun Crazy The Ravyns - Hooked On the Radio Great Buildings - Hold On To Something Phil Seymour - Let Her Dance Tommy Tutone - Cheap Date The Elvis Brothers - Santa Fe…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 177 02/01/2024 1:00:30

3M ago1:00:30

1:00:30

Push Puppets - All Together On 3 20-20 - King Of The Whole Wide World The Jelly Bricks - Dreaming in Stereo The Grip Weeds - Conquer And Divide Dustaphonics - Hey Sister The Mayflies USA - Calling The Bad Ones Home The Haskels -Daddy's Girl Gary Valentine - Tomorrow Belongs To You The Next - Cheap Rewards 1979 Marching Girls -True Love Badbeats - O…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 176 01/25/2024 1:00:43

3M ago1:00:43

1:00:43

Gysai - Baby Blue The Bablers - Together Forever The Well Wishers - Shark Pretty (Game Theory Cover) Tony Marsico and the Ugly Thingz - No Future Go Time - What I Needed The Vapors - Hit The Ground Running The Comets - Pick Of The Litter The Tyrants - Attitude The Phoinz - She Wants To Be A Man Nervebreakers - Hijack The Radio Flaming Hands - I Bel…

1
Becoming Elon Musk, Part One 1:22:30

3M ago1:22:30

1:22:30

If there's ever been a Know Your Enemy subject worthy of two episodes, it is Elon Musk—currently the world's richest man, CEO and leader of several pathbreaking companies, ringleader of the Department of Government Efficiency, and (for now) Donald Trump's co-president. In other words, to understand what's happening in the United States during the s…

1
"Exit From Within" (August 2022) 20:42

4M ago20:42

20:42

Here's something a little creepy. In a bonus episode from August 2022, Matt and Sam were discussing Sam's profile of Arizona Senate hopeful and Peter Thiel-protégé Blake Masters when we found ourselves imagining how a future union of MAGA nationalism and Silicon Valley libertarianism might try to run the government. A listener flagged it for us, no…

1
How Bad Is It? [TEASER] 4:27

4M ago4:27

4:27

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy Just over a month into Trump's second term, Matt and Sam offer their thoughts on where we're at—and, to be blunt, the assessment is fairly depressing. They take stock of the troubling truth that Pete Hegseth's confirmation reveals about Trump's hold over the Repu…

1
Pay Attention! (w/ Chris Hayes) 1:01:37

4M ago1:01:37

1:01:37

We're all anxious, and none of us can pay attention. We don't read long books anymore; our kids don't read at all. When we watch TV, we scroll at the same time. And we absolutely cannot be alone with ourselves. These are the symptoms of a modern malaise that is everywhere diagnosed but rarely treated with the dire seriousness it deserves: an epocha…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 175 01/18/2024 1:00:58

4M ago1:00:58

1:00:58

Kurt Baker - Warm in the Winter Silver Synthetic - Yr Gonna Be Happy Sorrows - Out Of My Head Gyasi - Cheap High Dropkick - Snowflakes CMON CMON - Turn Off The Lights The Furys - Say Goodbye To The Black Sheep 2 Timers - Now That I've Lost My Baby The Zipps - Don't Tell The Detectives Regular Guys - Leave 1 Kid Courage - I'm A Fanatic Rudi - Crimso…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 174 01/11/2024 1:00:23

4M ago1:00:23

1:00:23

Supercrush - Following The Taillights The Sound Reasons - Today's Another Day The Knight Shades - Make You Mine Los Imposibles - Ronnie (The Story Teller) The Voltz - Taste It The Krayolas - Alex (Downtown Mix) The New Romans - Jenny (1980) Catch 22 - Scotty and D The Sleepers - Endless Cheap Cinema - A Loan Again (1983) I'm Numb - The Pointed Stic…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 173 01/04/2024 59:52

4M ago59:52

59:52

Svenssen - She's Into Bad Boys The Krayolas - Gonna Walk Downtown (Downtown Mix) Rad Venture - From a Boy to a Man Dislexia - You Were The Water Soft on Crime - Way Facing The James Baker Beat with Dom Mariani - Friday Night Friend The Jetz - Dance With Me (1983) The Arrangers -Would Yo Like To Leave Cleaver - Join Us Later (1980) Paradox - I Don't…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 172 12/28/2024 1:02:48

4M ago1:02:48

1:02:48

Benny Trokan - Fever Wesley Fuller - The Velvet Affair Luther Russell - Downtown Girls Jordan Jones - Can I Stay Cupid's Carnival - Horrible Human Being emperor penguin - Ladybird The Reflectors - All The Way Down The Second Summer - The Reason Creem Circus - Playgirl (Single) Supernova - Jim Trainor The Anderson Councel - Citadel The Low Sixes - R…

1
MAGA x DOGE, So Far (w/ John Ganz) [TEASER] 2:11

5M ago2:11

2:11

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy The first three weeks of Donald Trump's second administration have seen a flurry of vicious executive orders aimed at the federal workforce, trans people, government agencies, and others—all while Elon Musk and his deranged band of young sociopaths, otherwise kno…

1
Ayn Rand Against the World (w/ Jennifer Burns) 2:00:31

5M ago2:00:31

2:00:31

An atheist, a radical for capitalism, a caricature of a greedy libertarian, a best-selling novelist, a difficult partner and passionate lover, and the self-proclaimed greatest philosopher since Aristotle: Ayn Rand was many things, and we talk about almost all of them in this epic episode. To do so, we called upon historian Jennifer Burns, whose int…

1
How Republics End (w/ Mike Duncan) [TEASER] 2:36

5M ago2:36

2:36

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy A stock rhetorical trope on the right is to invoke ancient Rome when talking about American decline—often making direct comparisons between the Goth invaders and contemporary immigrants, obsessing over homosexuality and Rome's fall, and more. If their understandi…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 171 12/21/2024 1:01:00

5M ago1:01:00

1:01:00

The Grip Weeds - Welcome Christmas The Empty Hearts - It's Christmastime (Official Music Video) The Peppermint Kicks - It's A Peppermint Christmas The Librarians With Hickeys - Jingle Jangle Heart Swag - Everyday Is Christmas The Krayolas - Giddy Up Santa Stephen Lawrenson - Glad It's Christmas The Poppermost - Mr Johnson's Christmas Party Material…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 170 12/14/2024 1:01:03

5M ago1:01:03

1:01:03

Nick Piunti - Sea Sick The Genuine Fakes - Unhand Me Nick Frater - One Minute Skyscraper Stan and the Commission Flats - Let Me Be Frank 20/20 - Laurel Canyon Phil Angotti - False Alarm The Heartbeats - Don’t Want Romance The News - Popular Boy Time Wasters - It Can Be Love Little Murders - She Lets Me Know Linear Decent - Sheila The Limit - Candy …

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 169 12/07/2024 1:00:00

5M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

The On and Ons - Been There The Heats - You Know Luther Russell - Wanna Be Your Lover Jupiter Motel -Make Time Kevin Robertson - Fortune Teller Lied Carla Olson and Tall Poppy Syndrome - Is It True Suspects - Talking Loud (1979) Dance Set - Melody Smiles (1981) The Rave- Take Me To The Movies! (1982) Jupiter - Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay (1980) T…

1
The Entrepreneurial Ethic & How We Work Today (w/ Erik Baker) 1:36:26

5M ago1:36:26

1:36:26

This is a fascinating episode that takes up thinkers that the podcast has covered before—the Koch brothers, Austrian economists like Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek, and others—but from a different angle: that of the entrepreneurial work ethic. Historian Erik Baker's superb book on the topic, Make Your Own Job: How the Entrepreneurial Work Eth…

1
UNLOCKED: Are Progressives to Blame for Urban Disorder? (w/ Hayes Davenport) 56:24

5M ago56:24

56:24

A bunch of you requested that we un-paywall this recent bonus episode, which features some highly practical insights for organizers, volunteers, and public servants. So we have! (All the other bonus episodes are good too; please subscribe.) — Right wing movements thrive by cultivating fears of disorder. Conservatives depict blue cities as sites of …

1
Are Progressives to Blame for Urban Disorder? (w/ Hayes Davenport) [Teaser] 3:59

6M ago3:59

3:59

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy Right wing movements thrive by cultivating fears of disorder. Conservatives depict blue cities as sites of rampant crime, chaos, and iniquity. And often enough, it is progressives — with their overdeveloped empathy and concern for the poor and criminalized — who …

1
Women vs. The System (w/ Dorothy Fortenberry) 1:07:32

6M ago1:07:32

1:07:32

Back in October, before the 2024 election, we had on our friend—and brilliant screenwriter and playwright—Dorothy Fortenberry to talk about gender and the presidential campaign. Amid all the postmortems and Democratic soul searching, we wanted to have Dorothy back on to revisit some of those questions, starting with the difficulties women face in r…

1
Trump 2.0 and the Courts (w/ the 5-4 podcast) 1:05:00

6M ago1:05:00

1:05:00

It's been a while since we've had our friends from the 5-4 podcast on KYE, and we thought there was no better time to do so than the weeks before Donald Trump is inaugurated, again, as president. As listeners might guess, we wanted to talk to them about what opportunities Trump might have during his second term to reshape the federal judiciary—and …

1
Reagan, the Movie (w/ Jesse Brenneman) [Teaser] 4:11

7M ago4:11

4:11

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy We wanted to offer something of a palette cleanser for our subscribers, so we decided to watch the recent movie, Reagan, with our intrepid producer, Jesse Brenneman. Even better, it's based on the 2006 book, The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism, …

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 168 11/30/2024 59:44

7M ago59:44

59:44

Standing Waves - Be So Nice The Glad Machine - I Wanna Drive (2024 Charity Single) The While - The Glimmering The Heats - Life of the Party Tom Baker -_Category 5 The Hollywood Stars - Can't Do It Right The Reasons - Take Me Back Born Ready - Tough Guy The Spikes - Tell It On Scooter - Easy Rebel - Ain't No Use The News - Don't Talk To Me Eyes - Is…

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 167 11/23/2024 1:00:00

7M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

The Heats - I Hope You're Wrong Barry J Walsh - The Sound The Well Wishers - Walk On Water Ed Ryan - Along For The Ride CMON CMON - All The Other Kids Go Time - Asleep At The Wheel The Earwigs - She's So Naive 7'' (1982) The Reactions – Rebel Rousers Lifesavors - Fourteen Indiscreet - American Nightmare The Props - Diminished Capacity Fools Face - …

1
Power Pop Overdose on Mad Wasp Radio 165 11/09/2024 1:01:31

7M ago1:01:31

1:01:31

This Week we speak with Singer/Songwriter Mark Bacino. We go into detail about his new album as well as what might be planned for the future and a whole lot more. We also feature tracks from his new album Top Of The World as well as a few songs from his previous albums. You aren’t gonna want to miss this so tune in……

1
Organizing in Rural America (w/ Luke Mayville) 1:07:51

7M ago1:07:51

1:07:51

This is a conversation we've wanted to have for a while, and it seemed like there was no better time than now, as many people on the broad center-left are asking tough questions about Donald Trump's strength in rural America—according to one post-election analysis, he won 62 percent of rural voters. To unpack what's happening in these parts of the …

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