Q & A, Hosted by Jay Nordlinger

The baseball master talks to Jay about a slew of issues: How was the 2019 season? What about the (current) playoffs? Who are the future Hall of Famers? Is the Hall selective enough? What reforms of the game would be advisable? What about the relative paucity of black American players? What about the preeminence of Latin American players? What is the role of managers? And of GMs? And of owners? Sou...

Today, Jay turns “Q&A” into an old-fashioned “Need to Know,” with his “friend, colleague, heroine, and podcast partner,” as he puts it: Mona Charen. They talk Trump-Ukraine-impeachment, of course. And then Greta (the teen climate-change activist), China, Turkey, Egypt, etc. A lot of laughs, a little yelling, and some keen analysis. At the beginning, Jay asks Mona a potentially sensitive questi...

Tanya Chan is a legislator from Hong Kong and a democracy leader. She has just given testimony before the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva (as an invitee of UN Watch, a non-governmental organization accredited at the U.N.). Chan talks with Jay about the democracy movement in Hong Kong. What does it want? What is its current mood? Who calls the shots in the city, the local government or the... S...

At some point in this conversation, the guys get into “The Super Bowl Shuffle” – from the Chicago Bears in the 1980s. That leads to other music associated with particular teams: “Another One Bites the Dust” and the Detroit Lions; “We Are Fam-i-ly” and the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is a sportscast, with David French and Vivek Dave (hosted by Jay). We’ve got college football: Nick Saban and them. We’...

As Jay says in his introduction, John Relyea is a wonderful singer, a wonderful guy – and, it turns out, a wonderful conversationalist. You will enjoy getting to know this Canadian bass-baritone, who has many insights, observations, and stories, related amiably. Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

One of Jay’s favorite conductors – and favorite conductor-interviewees – is Manfred Honeck, the Austrian who leads the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He played in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for some years. His brother Rainer is still there: as a concertmaster. Jay had a conversation with Maestro Honeck – Manfred Honeck – at the Salzburg Festival last week. They discussed music and his life....

René Pape is one of the greatest singers of our time, a living legend. He is a bass from Germany – East Germany. He and Jay talk a little bit about that. They also talk about a range of other issues, as they sit outside in Salzburg, with bells occasionally ringing out. Pape does a little singing, just quietly: “Follow Me,” by John Denver. A very interesting person, René Pape, and great company......

As Jay says, Anne-Sophie Mutter is not just one of the great violinists of our time, she is one of the great musicians of our time. She is also a fascinating – fascinating – interviewee. Smart as a whip, for one thing. From the Salzburg Festival, she and Jay talk about a number of things, including a number of personalities: André Previn (to whom she was married), Herbert von Karajan (who launched...

Sir John Tomlinson is a veteran, marvelous singer, a bass. He is now appearing at the Salzburg Festival. As Jay says, Sir John speaks almost as beautifully as he sings. In this conversation, they talk about the vocal life and many other things. Sir John does some singing, including the beginning of “Boris Godunov.” All free of charge. A splendid listen, the whole thing. Source Get full access to O...

Jay is at the Salzburg Festival, performing his annual tasks, which include a series of conversations for the Salzburg Festival Society. One of the guests in the series is Rosa Feola, a soprano from Italy. She is a delightful, sparkling woman, as you will hear. Also an interesting one – as you will also hear. As a bonus, Rosa does a little singing – a little demonstrating. You will eat her up... S...

That’s the way Lou Cannon was once described on television. (Jay can’t remember exactly by whom, but he thinks it was Al Hunt.) Cannon, the veteran journalist and author, has written a slew of books about Reagan, beginning in the 1960s. Jay wanted to talk to him about the recent eruption over Reagan and race. (Jay himself wrote about the issue – quoting Cannon at length – here. Source Get full acc...

No, not the Mafia, although the Mafia certainly is one – any mob that forms in politics and society. Kevin Williamson is the author of a new book: “ The Smallest Minority: Independent Thinking in the Age of Mob Politics.” He and his friend Jay talk about this, among other issues, such as conservatism, libertarianism, economics, immigration, cars, music, and novels. You may not like every word... S...

If you want an expert on the Republican party, look to Tim Alberta, the author of the sensational new book American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump. Jay puts him through his paces, and Alberta is in excellent form. He even jabs Jay at the end of the podcast about college football — in response to which, Jay can only smile weakly... Source Get...

Mona Charen joins Jay for a “Need to Know”-style hour. As of old, they go back and forth – about the flood (not the Noah-related one, but the recent one in Washington, D.C.); the left-wing nuttiness of the Democratic party; troubles – further troubles – in RightWorld; Jeffrey Epstein; the British ambassador; Nancy Reagan; “Miss” and “Mrs.” and “Ms.”; the late Lee Iacocca; and yet more things under...

George Will once pointed out to George McGovern that he, McGovern, had become a noun, and an ism: “McGovernism.” The same has happened to David French: “David Frenchism.” What is that? French himself discusses it, with Jay. They talk about a slew of things, in a conversation both leisurely and vigorous: Independence Day; Justin Amash and the Republican party; climate change; Antifa and masks... So...

Listeners may recall that Jay is a great fan of “University Challenge,” the British quiz show. He has had “UC” contestants as guests on “Q&A” before: the great David Landon Cole and Eric Monkman, who sparked Monkmania, which still has not abated. This time, his guest is Freddy Leo, a standout from the season just past (2018-19). Amazing young man. Is “Freddy Leo” his real name or a stage name?...

It truly is dazzling, for those who are prepared to be dazzled by it. This episode gives you NBA talk from two of Jay’s regular gurus, David French and Vivek Dave, and a special guest star, Sopan Deb, newly named an NBA writer for the New York Times. (He had been a culture writer before.) Talk ranges from Steph to KD to LeBron and so on and so forth. A wonderful subject, professional basketball......

Mike Brown is the editor of the Rockdale Reporter, in Central Texas. He is one of Jay’s favorite newspapermen and writers. Jay and Kevin Williamson took a road trip to visit Mike and the Reporter – and sat down for a podcast in the bargain. You will very much like getting to know Mike Brown. (Jay and Kevin aren’t bad either.)... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/...

Gerard Schwarz is a leading conductor, and he started out as a leading trumpeter. He is also one of the best talkers about music – best teachers of music – you will ever encounter. Jay asks him to talk about everything from recordings to composers to Louis Armstrong to the future. This is a rich and fascinating hour (and even includes a little singing, at no extra charge). N.B. Source Get full acc...

Nasser Weddady is an American of Mauritanian origin. (Mauritania is a nation in northwest Africa.) He is a human-rights activist, and strategist. He works for the Human Rights Foundation, in New York. He grew up in various countries, having a diplomat for a father. As a boy, he was in Moammar Qaddafi’s tent (literally). He also met Hafez Assad. Weddady speaks Hebrew (which is a very interesting......

That’s the title of one of William F. Buckley Jr.’s novels: “ Spytime.” Its subtitle is “The Undoing of James Jesus Angleton.” Jay asks his guest, H. Keith Melton, about Angleton – and about much else. Melton is one of the world’s foremost experts on espionage. He has amassed the greatest espionage collection. He is the author of many books, and is a founding director of the new International Spy....

Robert Kelly is known worldwide. He is the “BBC Dad,” the scholar whose children and wife burst into the room, delightfully, as he was giving an interview. Do you remember? It’s good that Kelly has a worldwide fame – because he knows as much about the Koreas, North and South, as anyone. With Jay, he runs through many of the most important issues. And he also relates what it’s like to be the “BBC.....

Timothy Snyder is a historian of the Holocaust, Eastern Europe, and yet other matters. He is a professor at Yale and has many other affiliations. Among his books are “Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin” and “The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America.” Jay picks his brain on democracy, dictatorship, and other concerns of today (and always). An education. Source Get full access to Onw...

Listeners to “Q&A” know Evan Mawarire already. He is Zimbabwe’s “freedom pastor,” a leader of the democratic opposition. He was a guest on this podcast two years ago: here. Jay wrote a piece about him, here. At the time, Pastor Evan was leading a movement against Robert Mugabe, the longtime dictator. Now Mugabe is gone – and Pastor Evan is still leading the struggle, as the government is as cr...

He has written many books, and many more columns. His latest book is “ The Conservative Sensibility.” In a way, George F. Will has been pointing toward this book his entire life. It is a summing up of what he has learned and what he believes. Jay talks with him about conservatism and myriad related things: libertarianism, nationalism, populism, and so on. A wonderful, fundamental conversation. Sou...