The Fifth Column

* Illness fakers

* Medium fakers

* Ok, so let’s warm up with some music stuff

* Does any band have a perfect four-album run?

* “I’ve read a lot of books on WWII!!”

* On the Martyr Made controversy

* Baby Irvings

* The bad guys are the good guys, and they have no agency

* “The Holocaust was basically a housing issue…”

* The Theresienstadt “documentary”

* The “terror” bombings

* Incidenta…

* Kamala finally submits to an interview

* A Cascade of Disappointment)

* A softball interview

* Flip, flop, flibbedy flop

* Wasted questions

* Just a question of grammar

* Code switch that racist wall

* Trump in the cemetery

* Trump in the bible

* Trump impressions

* Noel, Liam, Kmele

* Matt and Moynihan reveal a secret, racially segregated text thread

It’s the final night of the convention and in the hours before everything kicks off, the lads convened at the Substack loft to chat with Axios’s Alex Thompson, our old pal and arguably the most plugged in political reporter in America. We could offer some conversation bullet points but…just trust us. This is a really good one. Alex dishes on his reporting about the campaign to dislodge Biden’s from ticket, the enormous and quiet political power of the Obamas, and the behind-the-scenes war between Michelle Obama and the Biden family.

Moynihan, Welch, and Kmele’s Chicago misadventures continue in this dispatch, recorded just before night three of the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Joined by the incomparable Mike Pesca (host of The Gist), your favorite podcast triumvirate dissects the week’s events so far, their implications for the 2024 presidential race, and the future of the Democratic Party. Plus, a brief meditation on proper etiquette when dining at celebrity steakhouses—with a pair of reformed gangsters.

Recorded: August 21st, 2024 (at the bustling Substack Loft)Published: August 22nd, 2024

Why waste time with discursive show notes when you can just say two very simple words? Steve Kornacki. One of People’s “Sexiest Men Alive” returns to the Fifth (for his fourth appearance??) to breakdown the latest polls, prognosticate on what happens to the Republican Party if Trump loses, and subtly reveal that he might be a degenerate blackjack player. Just listen. It’s a good one.

* An ethereum veep bet (Note: U.S. customers are banned, so no $1,000 on Shapiro bet was made)

* Watching the Olympics

* Supporting Ukrainian athletes for non-political reasons

* Lil’ Moyn is still in it to win it

* An old, prescient email…

* “What did I do?” - Gerald Ford

* The drug excuse is not that convincing, TBH

* Dave, Buster, and Trump

* Yeah, no, it’s not going to be…

* Anything happen since we left?

* La Bubblewrap

* The media will do it for you

* Everyone will forget about that NABJ appearance

* Every journalist in that room is Audie Murphy

* Who’s black?

* Not in defense of Thomas Eagleton (soz)

* The polls changed so let’s attack Nate Silver for noticing

* Every one in politics is “weird”

* The child will never fly coach again

* The honorable resistors

* JD Vance’s amazingly stupid economic ideas, which he cannot actually believe

* The end of the Venezuelan dictatorship

* Killing bad guys in Tehran and Beirut

* Resistance vs. escalation

In April 2023, while producing a documentary series for The John Templeton Foundation (JTF), I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing legendary punk/rock musician and producer audio engineer Steve Albini. Portions of that interview appear in the sixth installment of the doc series (which is phenomenal, and you should watch every episode immediately), but most of our conversation has remained unreleased—until now.On May 7th, 2024, Steve passed away at 61 after an illustrious and influential life and career. With special thanks to JTF (and in honor of Steve Albini Day), we’re pleased to publish the full audio of that interview here.

Steve engineered audio for artists like Nirvana, Bush, and the Pixies, helping each bring some of their most authentic and celebrated works to grateful fans the world over. Steve’s dedication to capturing the natural essence of a band's performance without excessive studio manipulation has left a lasting legacy in the music industry.In this wide-ranging exchange, Albini shared insights into his philosophy on music production and anecdotes from his time working with some of the biggest names in rock. And given the uniquely ontological focus of our documentary, Steve also served up some fascinating meditations on:

* communicating with aliens

* being a ‘vector of history’

* the modern music scene

* and the mathematics of music

Albini's approach to his work wasn’t just technical but deeply philosophical. He believed that the role of a producer was to serve the artist's vision rather than impose their own. That ethos resonated throughout our discussion, a testament to his principled commitment to artistic integrity. His passing is a significant loss, but his legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire future musicians and producers.- KmeleNOTE: This release includes a brief cameo from my friend and sometimes collaborator Jason Mojica — the indispensable producer/director of Dispatches from The Well.Interview Recorded: April 28th, 2023Published: July 27th, 2024

* HOF weekend

* The Talented Ms. Jewhater

* Notes from the RNC

* The black Republicans who don’t care about ideology

* The 33 person BBQ in North Milwaukee

* Losing their religion

* The Great Resignation

* “She’s not Joe Biden on foreign policy, buy who is…”

* Why they hate us

* There’s no Kamala bump

* More Project 2025 nonsense

* The rise of the mentally ill pundit

* To win, Dems…

Moynihan calls in from GOP Ground Zero in Milwaukee. Kmele threatens to dish about Silicon Valley support for Donald Trump. Welch only slurs as much as Reince Preibus. Topics include J.D. Vance’s political philosophy, Joe Biden’s deteriorating public appearances, and—as ever—Kmele’s mangled naughty bits. Who the hell knows when the Adderall shortage will kick in, but we’re squeezing the last drops out of Moynihan’s productivity before the vape-seizures finally do him in. Let’s gooooo!!!!