Boomer Has It!

They shut down college campuses, took over administration buildings, and dominate headlines over Gaza. But as ICE sweeps communities and foreign aid cuts risk millions of lives worldwide, the massive youth protest wave seems to have vanished from the national stage. Are Millennials and Gen Z missing in political action, or are we just looking in the wrong places? Today, we dive into the generation...

Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer has published a tell-all book about his late sister’s poor marriage to that other Charles, the man who now is King, and it’s not going down well with the royals. When can the poor Windsors get a break? Jim and JB discuss the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad year the monarch is having, how much of the exposé is credible, and if having royals in 2026 mak...

Whether the topic is John Galliano's fall from the high-fashion firmament or the media storm over actor Sydney Sweeney's provocative sports betting ad, modern outrage moves fast. Fifteen years after a bigoted tirade halted his career, the Metropolitan Museum of Art abruptly pulled the plug on Galliano's upcoming retrospective. Meanwhile, Sweeney’s campaign for a sports prediction pl...

A quarter century after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Jim and JB, who were in New York on that day, share their thoughts and memories. What was the city like in the aftermath? How popular were the two towers? How did President George W. Bush respond, and did the notorious Rudolph Giuliani really become an unlikely hero? Also, following up on our last pod, Jim and JB debate who the ne...

Welcome to a masterclass in film criticism from Boomer Has It! Today, JB and Jim are putting the spotlight on Woody Allen. From his early just-for-laughs comedies and tributes to European directors to the 90-year old’s new movie, to be filmed in Madrid. This episode follows his precedent-setting innovation, professional evolution and tight 90-minute storytelling—all while staring down the black ho...

When Harry and Meghan left the UK six years ago, the press labeled it "Megxit." Since then, Prince Harry has publicly aired grievances about his family, fought ongoing security battles, and faced millions in court costs after losing high-profile suits against the British tabloid press. Now, the non-working royals and their two kids are reportedly planning a move back to Britain. Why step...

Blue Film might be the most controversial movie of 2026. On this episode of Boomer Has It! , co-star Reed Birney joins us to discuss building the thriller's intense craft alongside Kieron Moore, collaborating with writer-director Elliot Tuttle, his Tony-winning career, and his acting family. Plus Headquakes: • Mr. Moonlight: Brian Epstein and the Making of The Beatles • How OnlyFans bailed ou...

What happens when a storied business publication covers your work with the “help” of AI? Risk educator and best-selling author Michele Wucker joins us to share what happened when her work became the subject of an AI-enabled reporting experiment at Fortune , and what it reveals about the future of news. Send us Fan Mail Boomer Has It!  The transatlantic podcast you never knew you needed. About the...

Carrying on a tradition of troublesome First Family members, Hunter Biden is no exception. Drugs, broads, influence peddling, and an abandoned laptop — it was catnip for the right wing media. Lately he’s been responding to his critics with a combination of humor and indignation. Is he a truth teller or just another troll?  Hunter Biden, Political Scandals, White House, First Family, Media Analysis...

Five outcasts, a fallen angel, and the muddy trenches of World War One — all in a single, long sentence. Jim and JB review this year’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Angel Down by Daniel Kraus. Do we salute? Or do we fire it into No Man’s Land? Send us Fan Mail Boomer Has It!  The transatlantic podcast you never knew you needed. About the Hosts Boomer Has It! brings together two seasoned writers fro...

It’s the biggest film of the year, adapted from a story that’s in the public domain…because it’s almost 3,000 years old! This week, Jim and JB dive into Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey —the latest epic from the master of the very long, very serious movies. Did it live up to the myth? (Odysseus, phone home!)  Plus, Headquakes where we explore a trip The Tate to discuss James McNeill Whistler and a...

When we were all addicted to staying home and watching streaming TV, the fear was that the pictures had gotten “small,” just as Gloria Swanson claimed in “Sunset Boulevard” (1950). But with boffo box office returns, will 2026 be the year they get big again? Movie theatre attendance is turning out to be the strongest box office year since before the Lockdown in 2019, and Jim and JB are hot on the c...

Samuel Johnson may have called patriotism the “last refuge of a scoundrel,” but what’s wrong with being proud of your flag? Many on the left will give you a mouthful of reasons, allowing the right to co-opt national pride. Progressive designer Kimberley Gordon of Selkie recently drew fierce criticism from Democrats with her stars-and-stripes-themed clothing line. LGBTQ+ leaders and celebrities exp...

Send us Fan Mail While traveling by car on any U.S. interstate, you might encounter a bumper sticker that reads, “Nobody cares about your feelings.” The phrasing was a misinterpretation of a quote by Ben Shapiro who declared “Facts don’t care about your feelings.” Elon Musk took it  further, declaring empathy to be the fundamental weakness of Western civilization. What is empathy, and why has it c...

Send us Fan Mail It’s been a dour year so far, so Jim and JB have some comedy film suggestions to help everyone get through the summer. The remit was to each list his top 5, which turned out to be near impossible, so both have honorable mentions. The choices go back to 1926, featuring a century of laughs, including some gems a lot of people won’t be familiar with. JB provides his film historian’s...

Send us Fan Mail It's not enough that MAGA controls all three branches of government, it wants to control the culture too. But what exactly is MAGA culture? Your favorite Boomer aesthetes trace the Republican cultural revolution, covering movies and TV, music, comedy and cultural institutions. From The Sound of Freedom and Gutfeld to the UFC and NFL, we’ll give you the lowdown of the high poi...

Send us Fan Mail Dude Desert? Guy Gridlock? Brocopalypse? A 2025 Gallup study revealed a disproportionate 25% of young American men suffering from severe daily isolation. JB and Jim trace the cultural evolution of male bonds—from the post-WWII "strong, silent" to the vulnerable "bromances" popularized by Judd Apatow and Ted Lasso to today’s "strong, violent type" idea...

Send us Fan Mail Why has crime (true and fictional) seized the culture? From books, plays, docs, features, series, and podcasts, crime is on a spree. This week Jim and JB talk to veteran crime novelist Charles Salzberg (author of the popular Swann series) about how everyone is a criminal at heart. As a bonus, Charles shares his top crime books and films.  Also, JB celebrates the centenary of a liv...

Send us Fan Mail What does it mean to be a "folk hero?” While figures like Robin Hood and Paul Bunyan once inspired ideals, like wealth redistribution and frontier progress, today’s larger-than-life characters carry the scent of cynicism. Jim and JB trace the evolution of the folk icon, starting with the 1970s mystery of D.B. Cooper—the enigmatic hijacker who vanished into the clouds with a b...

Send us Fan Mail As the UK commemorates the late Queen’s centenary and King Charles is scheduled to visit the US, Jim and JB discuss whether maybe the late Liz maybe wasn’t such a great queen after all, leaving a right royal mess in her wake. Was it all due to bad parenting? And Jim bewails the utter chaos represented by the recent gunfire at the White House Correspondents Dinner, as JB recommends...

Send us Fan Mail This week Jim and JB shepherd readers through “Lost Lambs,” a buzzy new book by 29-year-old New York writer Madeline Cash. Will they be sheepish to suggest how much they like it? Or is celebrating Lost Lambs just following the flock? (Okay, I’ll stop now.) Relatedly, are boomer critics too dismissive of young writers? Also: JB celebrates the UK giving fresh rights for lobsters (at...

Send us Fan Mail The Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal has been a huge story in the UK, with the first royal arrested since King Charles I was taken into custody and beheaded in 1649. Andrew’s prospects look better than that, but not by much. He’s lost his mansion, his titles, and his reputation, but will he take the rest of his family down with him?  As the author of Duch, a novel that imagines...

Send us Fan Mail Was James Carville right? In 2025, he argued that the best Democratic strategy was to just "play possum" and let the Republicans self-destruct. This week, Jim and JB take stock of the GOP’s unforced electoral errors, the 'property portfolio' future of Hollywood giants, and a New York Magazine profile that has Jim’s head spinning. Headquakes for episode 5: NYMag...

Send us Fan Mail Mad Men is Back! Twenty years after studio executives rejected it, Mad Men is finally on HBO. Much to its chagrin, the cable network passed on the groundbreaking series, which debuted on the second-tier network AMC on 2007 and went on to win 16 Emmys, including 4 for Outstanding Drama.  Now a whole new generation is finding it along with its original audience, who are taking anoth...

Send us Fan Mail March 1, 2026 Good riddance to the Washington Post?   The Washington Post has been a DC institution for 149 years, but is it time to say goodbye? Since Jeff Bezos took over, WaPo has suspended presidential endorsements, intruded on its opinion pages, and jettisoned sports, metro, daily podcast, book coverage, and 350 reporters.  Whoops!  Correction: Jim mistakenly confused Citrini...