Cultural Debris

My guest is His Imperial and Royal Highness, His Excellency Eduard Habsburg. He is Archduke of Austria and Ambassador of Hungary to The Holy See and the Sovereign Order of Malta. He is also a member of perhaps Europe’s most famous family. Plus, he is the author of a new book from Sophia Institute Press titled The Habsburg Way: Seven Rules For Turbulent Times. The ambassador and I discuss the value...

Kathryn Wehr is editor of the new Wade Annotated Edition of The Man Born to be King by Dorothy L. Sayers, which is published by IVP. We discuss Sayers’s challenges in realizing her vision for the work, the secretary who tried to change it, and Sayers’s trinitarian understanding of the creative process as well as her friendship with C.S. Lewis. Plus, we may just have your soundtrack for Holy Week....

Eric Twardzik is a regular in such publications as the Robb Report, WM Brown, and Drake’s online. His focus is men’s clothing and the drinks scene. We discuss classic American Ivy Style, its expressions in such places as Italy and Japan, Eric’s visit to Kentucky, and the rise of the white Negroni. Plus, Eric discusses a sheep to suit tailoring project.   Cultural Debris Patreon  - Support the podc...

Holly Ordway is the first returning guest on Cultural Debris. Holly and I discuss her most recent book Tales of Faith: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel Through Literature. Holly and I discuss the value of literature, receiving vs using stories, why reading fiction can be a dangerous act, and why so much modern Christian art is so bad. Plus, we get a preview of Holly’s fascinating upcoming book.   Cul...

Kevin Gutzman is Professor of History at Western Connecticut State University. He has published half a dozen books on Jefferson, Madison, and the Constitution. His latest book is The Jeffersonians. Cultural Debris Patreon  - Support the podcast!   Cultural Debris logo by Rachael Sinclair Twitter | Instagram   The Jeffersonians, by Kevin Gutzman Kevin Gutzman Website | Twitter

My guest is Raj Bhakta. Raj is a true practitioner of the art of cultural debris. From founding one of the first premium whiskey brands, Whistle Pig—based out of Vermont, of all places—to buying an actual college at auction, Raj is not one to limit himself. We talk about all of those things, but especially Raj and I discuss the oldest known spirit, Armagnac, and his discovery of a great horde of A...

My guest is Os Guinness, long a resident of the Washington, D.C. area, Guinness was born in China and educated at Oxford. He is a prolific author, most recently of The Great Quest and Zero Hour America, both from IVP.  In our conversation we discuss the cultural crisis in America and if a turnaround is even possible. Os also discusses his childhood in China, his time with Francis Schaeffer, a chan...

Annette Kirk was kind enough to sit down with me to talk on a recent visit to Piety Hill in Mecosta, Michigan in the brick Italianate home that she and Russell Kirk built a half century ago.  Annette talks about growing up on Long Island, her activist mother, being present in the early days of the conservative movement at William F. Buckley’s home, and later meeting Russell Kirk. We discuss the cu...

Luke Sheahan of Duquesne University and the newly appointed editor of The University Bookman, a book review journal founded by Russell Kirk and edited by him until his death. Dr. Sheahan steps into the role left vacant by the passing of the great Gerald Russello, someone we all greatly miss. Dr. Sheahan and I discuss his plans for the Bookman, the debate between Russell Kirk and William F. Buckley...

Jason M. Baxter is a professor at the University of Notre Dame and has a new book from InterVarsity Press titled The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis. Dr. Baxter and I discuss the C.S. Lewis few ever talk about, the dangers of presentism, and how the medievals aren’t at all like the common stereotypes. Plus, for the second podcast in a row football comes up.   Cultural Debris Patreon  - Support the pod...

Michael Possanner is a bespoke tailor in Vienna, Austria. Michael and I discuss the value of bespoke tailoring, his non-traditional journey to learning the ancient trade, his love of American football, and his passion of mixology and collecting vintage cocktail books. Christian Appalachian Project - Donate for flood relief   Cultural Debris Patreon  - Support the podcast!   Michael Possanner - web...

Dr. Greg Hillis of Bellarmine University in Louisville. He is author of the recent book Man of Dialogue: Thomas Merton’s Catholic Vision from Liturgical Press. Dr. Hillis and I discuss Merton’s reputation, his role as novice master at the Abbey of Gethsemani, his interaction with the Kentucky literary scene, and the significance of Merton’s interest in Eastern religions.   Cultural Debris Patreon...

Dominican Friar Fr. Gregory Pine is a host of the podcast Godsplaining and frequently appears on Pints With Aquinas. He is author of the new book Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly published by Our Sunday Visitor. Fr. Pine and I discuss the idea of prudence, its philosophical roots, and his favorite Kentucky bourbon distilleries, plus his strange encounter with a biker in Kentucky’s Red Riv...

Anthony Amore is a Boston based New York Times bestselling author and art security expert. He is author most recently of  The Woman Who Stole Vermeer: The True Story of Rose Dugdale. He also works as Director of Security and Chief Investigator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum where he endeavors to recover the thirteen works of art stolen from the Gardner in a daring heist in 1990.   Cultural...

Jessica Hooten Wilson is author of the new book The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints from Brazos Press. Jessica is a professor at the University of Dallas and has written previously on Walker Percy and Fydor Dostoevesky. She currently is preparing a manuscript on Flannery O’Connor.   Jessica and I discuss facing the reality of our own limitations, fi...

My guest is art historian Danielle Oteri who wrote a wonderful article published in The Paris Review about the Unicorn Tapestries in the Met Cloisters.   Danielle and I discuss mystery and wonder, angels and unicorns. And a security guard named Howie. Oh, and a squirrel.   Cultural Debris Patreon  - Support the podcast!   'The Secret of the Unicorn Tapestries' Danielle Oteri: Website | Substack |...

My guest this episode is Allen Mendenhall, Associate Dean and Grady Rosier Professor in the Sorrell College of Business at Troy University, and author of the book Shouting Softly: Lines on Law, Literature, and Culture from St. Augustine’s Press. We discuss his family’s connection to author Harper Lee, Russell Kirk’s book The Conservative Constitution, the value of being a generalist, and much more...

Father Harrison Ayre is one of the co-hosts of the podcast Clerically Speaking. I definitely recommend it as it is a favorite of mine. Father Harrion’s new book is Mysterion: The Revelatory Power of The Sacramental Worldview. We discuss the idea of sacramentality, the dangers of modernity and acedia, and the benefits of the Marian stance. Cultural Debris Patreon  - Support the podcast! Fr. Harriso...

This episode’s guest is the author of the new book Swan Songs: Souvenirs of Paris Elegance. He writes under the pseudonym of Reginald-Jerome de Mans. In the book, he chronicles the end of old Parisian clothing institutions: shops and clothiers that sold luxurious wares for a century and longer, but the world seemingly passed them by. He also writes about a few who remain, but for how long? We disc...

Alan Noble is author of the new book You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World from IVP, The Intervarsity Press. Dr. Noble is a professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University and a founder of Christ and Pop Culture. Cultural Debris Patreon  - Support the podcast!   You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World Alan Noble website | Twitter Christ and Pop Culture  ...

My guest is Professor Todd Hartch of Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. A specialist in the history of religion, particularly Latin American religion, Todd has written a new book A Time to Build Anew: How to Find the True, Good, and the Beautiful in America. You’ll enjoy our topics from sculptor Frederick Hart, to the Notre Dame School of Architecture, to great books programs, and saving Cha...

My guest is author and bookman Stuart Kells of Melbourne, Australia. Stuart and I chat about various things bookish—private presses, pulp paperbacks, typefaces, and university presses. We even talk about two of his books a bit, The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders and Shakespeare’s Library: Unlocking the Greatest Mystery in Literature . Both highly recommended. You don’t want to miss the story abou...

My guest is former Ambassador Alberto Miguel Fernandez. Alberto served as US Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, and also served in various diplomatic roles around the world including in Afghanistan, Syria, and Sudan. He currently serves as vice president of the Middle East Media Research Institute. Alberto shares his early introduction to Russell Kirk’s writings, his family’s history with his native...

My guest is Father Michael Ward of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford and also of Houston Baptist University. Fr Ward has an enviable trifecta in his academic pedigree—degrees from Oxford, Cambridge, and St. Andrews. Fr. Ward is perhaps best known for his book Planet Narnia, which explains the correlation of each Narnia book to a planet in medieval cosmology. His recently released book from Word on Fire Aca...

Jeffrey Bilbro is editor of the The Front Porch Republic. Jeff is a fellow devotee of Wendell Berry, and has written a new book from IVP called Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry Into the News. We discuss setting priorities in a Twitter world with a bit of talk about higher education thrown in. We even have nice things to say about Henry David Thoreau.   NEW* Cultural Debris Pat...