Michael and Us

In 1967, the creator of the modern conservative movement welcomed one of the most beloved comedians of all time to debate whether the world is fundamentally funny or tragic. The results may surprise you. We discuss William F. Buckley vs. Groucho Marx on FIRING LINE.

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"Conservatism's Baton Twirler" by Osita Nwanevu - https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/09/25/conservatisms-baton-twirler-william-f-buckley/

"The MAGA Media Machine is Fracturing" by Stuart A. Thompson - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/us/politics/trump-iran-economy-media-critics.html

"Know Your Enemy: Zohran, the Jews, and Reckoning with Gaza" by Matthew Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell - https://dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/know-your-enemy-zohran-the-jews-and-reckoning-with-gaza/

In 2004, the nominees for both American political parties attended the same Ivy League secret society. For years, whispers and conspiracy theories have followed Yale's "Skull & Bones." But whatever goes on in there, it's probably less funny than what's in THE SKULLS (2000).

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One of Europe's most revered filmmakers travels to America to make a movie about the times. But instead, he makes a movie out of time. We discuss Michelangelo Antonioni's legendary film maudit, ZABRISKIE POINT (1970)

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"Antonioni Defends Zabriskie Point," by Guy Flatley - https://www.nytimes.com/1970/02/22/archives/antonioni-defends-zabriskie-point-i-love-this-country.html

"Lets Talk About Zabriskie Point," by Michelangelo Antonioni - https://classic.esquire.com/article/1970/8/1/lets-talk-about-zabriskie-point

"Zabriskie Point," by Jonathan Rosenbaum - https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2023/05/zabriskie-point-1984-review/

A few years after "hope and change" curdled, HOUSE OF CARDS offered a cynic's guide to the Beltway circa Obama's first term. We finally discuss a cultural phenomenon that reality would soon hopelessly outpace.

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Check out the Michael & Us website and episode guide - https://michael-and-us.com/

"Casual Viewing" by Will Tavlin - https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/essays/casual-viewing/

"The Comfortable Problem of Mid TV" by James Poniewozik - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/27/arts/television/mid-tv.html

We turn our attention to a bona fide cultural phenomenon and ask: where do Homer's The Odyssey and Christopher Nolan's THE ODYSSEY (2026) intersect and diverge?

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