The curious man Matt Crawford interviews authors and interesting people about topics ranging from history to politics to everyday stimulating topics. If you like to learn and are as curious as I am please join in!
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Conspiracy theories can feel like a uniquely modern phenomenon. QAnon. Pizzagate. The "Big Lie." The Epstein Files. False claims about vaccines, medicines, elections, and political opponents. But what if conspiracy theories aren't a new disease infecting American politics? What if they've been part of the American political tradition from the very beginning? In his new book, Conspirator in Chief:…
Rock 'n' roll has always had a dark side. Behind the music, the fame, the drugs, the excess, and the mythology are stories of mysterious deaths, unexplained events, strange symbols, secretive organizations, and rumors that have refused to die. Was that simply the inevitable mythology that grows around enormously famous musicians? Or are there stories hiding beneath the official versions of events…
Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Superman has become one of the most recognizable fictional characters in the world. But behind the cape, the shield, and the mythology is another story—one involving two young creators, a publishing industry, enormous sums of money, and a decades-long battle over who actually owned the…
What happens when ambition becomes more important than humanity? In the late 1800s, America is undergoing a dramatic transformation. Coal mines are expanding, fortunes are being built, industrialists are becoming powerful, and entire communities are being reshaped by the machinery of the Industrial Age. But beneath the booming industry is another story—one about the people living in its shadow. In…
The Olympics are supposed to represent something bigger than politics. Athletes from around the world gather in one place, nations compete peacefully, and the entire planet watches. But what happens when the world's greatest sporting spectacle becomes the target of an extraordinary act of terror? In Joe Battaglia's new novel, Beneath the Rings , the Doha 2040 Summer Olympics begin with dreams of…
What was it actually like to be a gladiator in ancient Rome? Not the Hollywood version. Not the sanitized version. And not simply the image of two muscular men entering an arena with swords. What did a gladiator eat? Where did he sleep? What happened before a fight? How were gladiators trained, disciplined, rewarded—and sometimes exploited? What did freedom mean to someone who was technically…
What happens after the revolution? The battles have been won. Independence has been declared. A new nation has been born. But then comes the hard part: building a country. Bestselling historical fiction author Sharon Virts explores that fascinating—and often overlooked—period in her new novel, Bargains of Fate , the second book in her Fields of Honor series. The series focuses on America's "Second…
What if getting older doesn't mean slowing down—but opening yourself up to entirely new possibilities? At 82, author RW Fields is offering readers a wonderfully timely reminder that creativity, friendship, humor, and reinvention don't have an expiration date. His book, Mullet Man , is a heartfelt and often funny story about two people from very different generations and socioeconomic worlds who…
Why do political movements that promote authoritarian ideas often gain support from people who feel ignored, frustrated, or left behind? That question sits at the center of today's conversation. Joining me is David Ost , political scientist and author of Red Pill Politics: Demystifying Today's Far Right , a timely examination of the rise of right-wing populism, authoritarian movements, and the…
How do we recognize racism? How do we measure it? And what happens when the way we define a problem makes it harder to solve? Today's guest argues that the frameworks we have used to understand racism for decades may be limiting our ability to effectively confront it. Ainsley LeSure is the author of Locating Racism In The World , a provocative examination of how society talks about racism after…
