Jonathan V. Last
Jonathan V. Last is digital editor of The Weekly Standard, author of What to Expect When No One's Expecting,, and editor of the three humorous books on virtues: The Seven Deadly Virtues: 18 conservative writers on why the virtuous life is funny as hell; The Dadly Virtues: Adventures from the worst job you'll ever love; and The Christmas Virtues: A Treasury of Conservative Tales for the Holidays.
Stories by Jonathan V. Last
Stop Talking About Trump
The world's foremost internet commenter is not the story here.
8:47 AM, Jun 05, 2017
Over the past 48 hours there have been dozens of news stories trying to inject President Donald Trump into the London Bridge attacks: "World leaders call for unity after London attack. Trump tweets the complete opposite." And "With his London tweets Trump embarrasses himself—and America—once again." And: "Trump responds to London terror by stoking fear and renewing feud with mayor." And those are just from the Washington Post. Over on CNN there's "The London terror tweets prove Donald Read more
Substandard Show Notes‐‐Episode 1.30
Watch talk. Orangutans. Pirates of the Caribbean. Baywatch.
11:00 AM, Jun 02, 2017
* We started out this week with some watch talk that may or may not be SFW, depending on your physiological reaction to things such as the Patek Philippe Constellation. So what I really want to do is go write a longform piece about Baselworld, which is, as I say, the Comic Con of watches. You can get a flavor for it here, or here. If you're into watches and care to weigh in on the question of the Grand Seiko Snowflake versus the Hi-Beat 3600, I'm all ears. Go ahead and tweet at me. I'm Read more
Anti-Anti-Trumpism Lives!
Whatever the wisdom of the Paris climate accords, the left&'s reaction has been ridiculous.
7:45 AM, Jun 02, 2017
So far as I can tell, I was patient zero for anti-anti-anti-Trumpism: the philosophy which says that it is not enough to avoid the subject of Donald Trump by criticizing the various hucksters, idiots, SJWs, and partisans who criticize him. Because President Donald Trump is the leader of the free world and they are not. He is the thing. And yet, the last 24 hours have made the strongest possible case for being anti-anti-Trump. The Paris climate accords are a sham. They have been a sham fr Read more
It's French Open Time!
8:00 AM, Jun 01, 2017
Roland Garros is open for business! The French Open began on Sunday and the dominos are already falling. On the women's side, #1 Angelique Kerber went out in the first round along with six other seeded players. There was attrition on the men's side, too. But the big disappointment came before the first can of Babolats went pffffffft. Two weeks ago Roger Federer announced that he would skip the French—for the second year in a row—so that he could focus on grass and hard courts. This dec Read more
They Deserve Our Gratitude
Serving the country by serving Trump.
Jun 05, 2017
Tom Ricks is disappointed in General H. R. McMaster. On May 15, during Donald Trump's hebdomas horribilis, McMaster, the president's national security adviser, appeared briefly outside the White House to attack a story in the Washington Post . The Post piece alleged that the president had revealed classified information to Russian diplomats during a meeting in the Oval Office. McMaster said the Post story was "false." The next day, in a more formal press briefing, he amended this claim, s Read more
Substandard Show Notes‐‐Episode 1.28
10:00 AM, May 19, 2017
Endnotes and digressions from the latest show: * We opened the show with Grill Talk and somehow, Sonny is ignorant about the advantages of infrared grilling. Brief primer here and here and here . It's just the best. Science. * From there we moved on to an appreciation of Powers Boothe. Sonny wrote an obituary for him earlier in the week. It's pretty good. Almost as good as "Well . . . bye." * I still have no idea who John Taffer is and remain confirmed in the view that the pr Read more
Substandard Show Notes‐‐Episode 1.26
Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 2; and Pizzas: A Ranking.
10:30 AM, May 12, 2017
Endnotes and digressions from the latest show: * We've been undergoing something of a Sonny-sance lately, with more and more of the world coming around to the idea that Sonny Bunch is always right. But this week's episode may have set that movement back by quite a bit. Because in talking about Marvel movies, Sonny was as wrong as he's ever been. * Sonny claims that none of the Marvel movies are really good and that a piece of dreck like Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 is just as good Read more
Is Trump Ruining Marriages?
10:12 AM, May 11, 2017
There's a scene in the Brock Landers documentary —the movie-within-a-movie tucked away inside Boogie Nights —where Dirk Diggler explains how his work in adult films is actually a public service: That's part of my reason for doing this, you know. I've gotten thousands upon thousands of letters. You know, from people telling me, "God, you've taught me this and you've made out love life so much better." . . . It's about how to get your wife off. If only people could have been doing this before Read more
Substandard Show Notes‐‐Episode 1.26
MOAR GMOs! Emma Watson and The Circle. JVL: The Lost LA Years.
11:00 AM, May 05, 2017
Endnotes and digressions from the latest show: * So this is the click-bait Super Nature guy who got Sonny so . . . angry . . . by slagging off on chain restaurants and Science. I'm kind of in love with the idea of an all-GMO place that offers you categories of food according just how pumped up the genes are. "Would you like the Gen-Xtreme apple compote? Or the Genzilla watermelon-berries salad?" * Pursuant to our discussion of War Games, here's a look at the tech from the movie. Read more
Testing Trumpism
Would you trade aggressive immigration restrictions and enforcement for single-payer healthcare?
10:00 AM, May 04, 2017
If James Bennett is remembered for anything, it's the formulation: "Democracy, immigration, multiculturalism . . . pick any two." A lot of people—in America, in France, all over the place, really—have come to see this proposition as reasonably serious. At its heart, that's what this French election is about. That's what Brexit was about. It might even have been what Donald Trump's election was about, too. So here's a question for you: Would you trade aggressive immigration restrictions and Read more
What Should Trump Do With His Next SCOTUS Pick?
If Kennedy retires, the president could stick to his list or go rogue.
9:03 AM, May 01, 2017
After Neil Gorsuch was confirmed, most of America moved on to Russia, North Korea, the tax plan, and Rodrigo Duterte. But a small universe of Republican legal thinkers moved on, instead, to war-gaming the next Supreme Court vacancy. It is widely believed that Justice Anthony Kennedy will step down in the near future . (One of the selling points for Gorsuch was that, as a former Kennedy clerk, his elevation would reassure the 80-year-old justice that Trump could be trusted to pick his successo Read more
Substandard Show Notes--Episode 1.25
Guardians of the Galaxy. Baywatch. Dunkirk. Prana. It's a Very Special Summer movie preview.
10:30 AM, Apr 28, 2017
Endnotes and digressions from the latest show: * Let's go backwards first. Late in the show, Vic asked what movie we thought was going to be the biggest hit this summer. I said that I wasn't sure about that, but that I was pretty sure that Baywatch was going to be the biggest surprise. Let me walk you through my reasoning: In order for a movie to find traction at the box office during the summer, it has to be able to find room to breath on opening weekend. That's not easy when you have $ Read more
Wit and Witness
Remembering Kate O'Beirne, 1949-2017
May 08, 2017
Last May, I traveled to Rome with a small group of journalists. We met with bishops and cardinals. We toured the Scavi beneath St. Peter's and explored the Vatican Museums with a renowned art historian. We were welcomed onto the terrace atop the papal apartment, giving us an extraordinary view of Bernini's piazza at the magic hour. Among all of the pleasures of this pilgrimage, the one I treasure most might be the evening I found myself ambling across the cobblestones of Borgo Pio, arm-in-arm wi Read more
Substandard Show Notes--Episode 1.24
So Fast. So Furious. Plus: Vic does New York.
11:00 AM, Apr 21, 2017
Endnotes and digressions from the latest show: * Before we get started on this week's main event, two quick notes about Monday's micro-episode on Star Wars: The Last Jedi. (Which you can listen to here .) First, if you want to see how derivative this teaser trailer is, go have a look at the side-by-side between it and The Force Awakens. Ugh. Also, you know how Luke ends the trailer by saying, "The Jedi must end"? You know who has two thumbs and was all over this years ago? This guy Read more
Charles Murray Defended By ... The New York Times?
7:00 AM, Apr 20, 2017
I draw your attention to the New York Times, which earlier this week ran…wait for it…a devastating attack on the students and faculty at Middlebury. This is the scene in the movie where you hear the record scratch and it goes to freeze-frame. But wait, there's more. The New York Times ran a piece attacking the liberal fascists at Middlebury, and defending Charles Murray, and the piece was written by two college professors . And you thought the Lord's resurrection was a miracle. Read more
Substandard Show Notes--Episode 1.23
11:00 AM, Apr 14, 2017
Endnotes and digressions from the latest show: * Sonny’s eulogy for Red Eye is really quite lovely. You can read it here. * For me, the "cable classics" category is pretty much defined by the old TNT New Classics series: Clear and Present Danger , Hunt for Red October , Patriot Games , Crimson Tide , Shawshank Redemption . I cannot believe I forgot to mention The Quick and the Dead, which might be my favorite trash Western of all time. As Sonny says, it is stuffed with a r Read more
Substandard Show Notes--Episode 1.22
Ghost in the Shell. Scarlett Johansson. Star Blazers.
11:00 AM, Apr 07, 2017
Endnotes and digressions from the latest show: * For starters, don't forget your Substandard bingo cards this week. * Second, about Joss Whedon. You say you want a ranking of the ten best episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ever? Well I've got one for you. * And while we're on the subject of Whedon, if you like the guy and/or like the X-Men, then you should run (don't walk) to the Amazon and pick up the trade paperback of his Astonishing X-Men run. Which is (a) the best Whedo Read more
We Have Ways to Make You Conform
The Human Rights Campaign's sham rankings.
Apr 17, 2017
The grievance-industry racket is as old as the culture war itself. But rarely has it been practiced as transparently as it was this past week by the Human Rights Campaign. You may recall the Human Rights Campaign from its two-decade drive to legalize same-sex marriage, which HRC cleverly packaged as an apolitical, universal "human right." Having won their victory through the majesty of Anthony Kennedy's pen, however, the folks at HRC decided not to press on for same-sex marriage in, say, Saudi Read more
Trump's War on House Conservatives
9:50 AM, Apr 06, 2017
So we're in the strange place where Paul Ryan—globalist, RINO, scourge of tru-cons everywhere—is now wholly aligned with Donald Trump—populist avenger, conqueror, and the truest of true-conservatives. They became teamed up in pursuit of a healthcare reform package that exactly no one really liked. And in the aftermath of its failure, Trump has decided to target . . . the House Freedom Caucus? Yes. Oh yes. It is on. There were a lot of ways to read the healthcare debacle kabuki. You could p Read more
NEP Test: Substandard Show Notes—;Episode 1.21
The Gong Show. The Popsicle Twins. And go-go Power Rangers.
11:00 AM, Mar 31, 2017
Endnotes and digressions from the latest show: * We promised you Substandard bingo and Substandard bingo you shall have. Here it is. Imo, this is pretty great—a bunch of different sheets you can divvy up among your friends and then play for some sort of small stakes. Like, everyone puts in $5 and the winner gets a pair of Status Audio headphones. Or a copy of the Layer Cake blu-ray. Or the anniversary edition of Axis & Allies. You should totes download the sheets and play along at home Read more
Substandard Show Notes--Episode 1.21
The Gong Show. The Popsicle Twins. And go-go Power Rangers.
11:00 AM, Mar 31, 2017
Endnotes and digressions from the latest show: * We promised you Substandard bingo and Substandard bingo you shall have. Here it is. Imo, this is pretty great—a bunch of different sheets you can divvy up among your friends and then play for some sort of small stakes. Like, everyone puts in $5 and the winner gets a pair of Status Audio headphones. Or a copy of the Layer Cake blu-ray. Or the anniversary edition of Axis & Allies. You should totes download the sheets and play along at home Read more
The Most Hated Woman in America
8:00 AM, Mar 30, 2017
There's a small movie coming out about Madalyn Murray O'Hair. Unless you're over a certain age and/or deeply invested in the intersection of the law and religious freedom, this name might not mean much to you. But half a century ago Madalyn Murray O'Hair was reasonably famous. She founded the group American Atheists. And she was the most hated woman in America. On the one hand, we shouldn't speak ill of the dead. But on the other hand, Murray kind of had it coming. If you were being charitab Read more
When Snowflakes Attack!
6:44 AM, Mar 30, 2017
A few weeks ago Wellesley College invited Laura Kipnis to give a talk. Kipnis is not an especially controversial figure. She is a professor of media studies at Northwestern who teaches film and seems to be generally in line with old-guard feminism. Her one deviation was a piece she wrote for the Chronicle of Higher Education two years ago blaming modern feminism for creating a climate of sexual paranoia on college campuses. Modern feminism did not take kindly to this heresy. As a result, Read more
Substandard Show Notes--Episode 1.20
Axis & Allies! Substandard Bingo! Vic loves Hermione in Beauty and the Beast!
11:00 AM, Mar 24, 2017
Endnotes and digressions from the latest show: * We started out this week talking about Kristen Soltis Anderson's awesome Substandard Bingo card. Here it is. You should follow her on Twitter! And listen to her podcast! She's great. * How great is KSA? I went to the whiteboard (#microaggression) and did some math. This is what I came up with: KSA > [( Layer Cake + Arrested Development ) * Dark Knight Rises ]Prana * Following that, we had a long, long, long digression on board Read more
Substandard Show Notes--Episode 1.19
King Kong! Godzilla! And a nation's prayers are answered: Hot Lesbian John Wick.
10:45 AM, Mar 17, 2017
Endnotes and digressions from the latest show: * We opened the show this week talking about the trailer for Atomic Blonde. It's here. You should watch it. This is a red-band trailer, but honestly, I think it's almost entirely safe for work. * Vic and I spent some time being nostalgic for the Japanese TV imports of our childhood. It turns out that YouTube is a tremendous repository for these tiny bits of awesomeness. For instance: Here's the intro for Space Giants, featuring Golda Read more
America's Sorry State
11:50 AM, Mar 16, 2017
A few years ago I wrote a piece where I asked whether or the '00s had been worse than the '70s. At the time, I thought it was a close call, one that could go either way. Today, I'm not so sure. I'd point you to two recent pieces that you simply have to read in order to understand America as it exists now. The first is by my colleague Christopher Caldwell, writing about the opioid epidemic over at First Things. It's an amazing, magisterial piece. In taking full measure of where we are and Read more
The Greatest Trump Prank Ever
8:13 AM, Mar 16, 2017
I am not generally a fan of President Trump, Trumpism, the alt-right, or anonymous internet trolls. But on the other hand, you have to pay respect where it's due. Let us now discuss the greatest act of pro-Trump trolling, ever. This entire story was beautifully reported by William Hicks at Heat Street , whose tale begins with Shia Labeouf's self-made protest movement, the "He will not divide us" livestream. But let's back up for a second. If you don't know who Shia Labeouf is, I envy you. Read more
Substandard Show Notes--Episode 1.18
X-Men, Logan, strong female leads, and The Gift.
11:00 AM, Mar 10, 2017
Endnotes and digressions from the latest show: * We opened the show talking about how Harriet Tubman might be the original American badass. If she had been a professional wrestler, I like to think her entrance would have been something like the Undertaker’s during his biker gimmick. * Also, we all agreed that there needs to be a Harriet Tubman movie which re-imagines her as an X-Men-style mutant superhero. After much discussion, we agreed that she should probably have Kitty Pryde's power Read more
Must Reading from Bill Bishop
11:00 AM, Mar 09, 2017
Bill Bishop is one of my favorite sociologists. (He's not a real sociologist, mind you. He's a journalist. But he co-wrote one of my favorite sociology books, The Big Sort. If you haven't read it, run, don't walk.) Over the weekend, Bishop published a long essay on polarization in America and the decline of our institutions. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Bishop's key argument is that when we try to explain declining trust in our institutions, we often do so in political terms, u Read more