Ben Judah

The Rag Man

John McWhorter

Good evening, listeners! We have an excellent episode for you this week, as host Richard Aldous speaks with Ben Judah about the nefarious global threat of kleptocracy, before discussing Scott Joplin’s musical legacy with John McWhorter.

First, Ben Judah, author of This Is London and Fragile Empire, comes on the show to discuss his recent report for the Hudson Institute that outlines the problems kleptocracy poses in the modern world, and what the U.S. ought to do about it.

Then, Richard welcomes John McWhorter, who teaches linguistics, philosophy, American Studies, and music history at Columbia University, back to the program to look back on the music of the masterful American “King of Ragtime,” Scott Joplin.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes (and don’t forget to leave a review). Follow Ben Judah @b_judah, John McWhorter @JohnHMcWhorter, and Richard Aldous @RJAldous on Twitter.