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Know Your Enemy
Know Your Enemy

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Know Your Friends: 100th Episode Mailbag

To celebrate the 100th episode of Know Your Enemy, Matt and Sam decided to open up the mailbag and field listener questions—which, as always, proved to be incredibly intelligent and interesting, with topics ranging from what they've learned along the way to the politics of guns. Plus, past guests from the podcast stop by to offer their commentary on this auspicious occasion. 

Sources:

John Lukacs, The Hitler of History (1997)

Confessions of an Original Sinner (1989)

A New History of the Cold War (1966)

Michael Oakeshott, Notebooks, 1922-1986 (2014)

Christopher Smart, "from Jubilate Agno," written between 1759-1763, published 1939

Know Your Friends: 100th Episode Mailbag
Know Your Friends: 100th Episode Mailbag Know Your Friends: 100th Episode Mailbag

Comments

so you pay to subscribe to them, take the time to listen to their bonus content, and devote the energy to comment…. this? No one is forcing you to engage, my guy

Jake

Sam’s dad’s message made me cry! Wow. And I agree with Perlstein that the podcast is humane. That’s a great way to put it. It’s grounding and nourishing.

Kathleen Reeves

Congrats guys! I would have loved to pick your brains on your experiences with other schools of philosophy like non-Western but I’ll save it for the next mailbag!

Martin Oswald

Happy Birthday, Matt - and congrats on 100+ episodes! I've listened to every one. This is my favorite podcast by far! Also, great episode pic. I love finding out what podcast hosts look like and see if they match what I imagine in my head. For the record, if you two and John Ganz were in a room and I had to match the voice to person, I would be 0-3.

Daniel D.

Just read the nymag article https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/opus-dei-members-catholic-washington-dc-politicans-jd-vance.html It would be great to interview the author of the book. It seems like perfect KYE material.

seaward

Put me down for a John Lukas episode! For reasons unknown, I read Confessions of an Original Sinner in high school. Unfortunate for biographies I read after as few could stand up.

Jessica

Here’s to many more eps 🙏

Thomas

They're literally being sued for the second time by Young Americans for Freedom, so yeah, this project does seem to have gotten under some conservatives' skin.

drizzly_november

Is this know your enemy or know your hagiographer? Do the likes of Deneen et al even care if the lads have cranked out one episode or a 100? Did anyone ask? Surely there's someone out there that really does think that Matt and Sam do tend to the solipsistic, the grandiose?

Matt Gately

KYE solidifying its position as “kindest corner of podcast land.” Love you both, happy 100 eps!

Jenna Harmon

Tayler!! That was huge for me. I told Hannah that it happens all the time. (Which is not remotely true.)

Know Your Enemy

Congrats on episode 100! I was listening on the train and started grinning like an idiot when I heard Daniel Denvir’s greeting.

Martin W

Good stuff, Isaac!

Yann Dardonville

I've been listening since episode 1! Huge congrats on cracking 100! Listening to this pod has felt like auditing one of the coolest classes ever. I've recommended it to many friends over the years. Appreciate you in all your modes: deep dives, rank punditry, etc. I feel like I've learned SO MUCH from you and all the guests. A few of my personal favs (just off the top of my head) were Shuja Haider on the politics of country music and Patrick Blanchfield on gunpower. I'm sure there are like a dozen more eps that I've loved, though, if I were to go back through the episode feed. Here's to the next 100!

Joel

Hey Matt and Sam (and Jesse!), congrats! I just wanted to say you guys are a really great model of vulnerable, loving friendship, generally but also specifically between men. This pod made me reflect on how as ive gotten older my friendships have taken on more and more meaning, and how I much I value being and vulnerable and just telling my friends that I love them. In the current toxic masculinity online/podcasting malaise, I hope there are some young people out there that get inspiration from your work

Jake

Involuntary smile at hearing Sam Tanenhaus' voice. Congrats on 100!

Brian Swoveland

Those pieces trying to paint them as some sort of lefty rivals were very funny, not a single one mentioned Matt was one of Chapo’s earliest guests! I believe he also used to work with then-producer Brendan James under Andrew Sullivan.

drizzly_november

Big mazel on 100 episodes! Also, I have been late in saying hello. My husband and I spotted Sam and Hannah in Greenpoint in March of this year and probably startled you with our on-the-street gratitude for your writing and work. Happy birthday, Matt. Too many more years and episodes!

tayler

Is this foreshadowing!!?? Bc we are desperate to hear yalls thoughts on the left for 100 episodes...

Pooj Rav

I also like "Right and Wrong" as a YouTube channel for lapsed right-winger Matt.

drizzly_november

I started listening in April/May of 2020 while processing remote book orders for eight hours a day. It rules that you've come this far and only get better over time—congratulations and happy birthday Matt!

Nik

I would looove a Roger Scruton episode, and congrats!

Daan Mantel

wonderful and wholly appropriate episode. happy to hear 5-4 peter in the mix... i started listening to you guys after they came on, so many years ago. and since then ive become an avid follower/reader/listener of osita, brandy, dan denvir, david roth, etc. thank you for sharing this amazing community with us, and happy bday matt

Jack Wolfe

Happy 100th episode and to Matt: https://youtu.be/OQFTwupdja8?si=74ebqpyjzLug8o2w I’ve been with you since maybe episode 3. Love you two. Best podcast I know!

Chad Bailey

Congratulations to my favorite parasocial relations on 5 years of great work. This podcast has genuinely meant a lot to me, and I look forward to it continuing (and also the Roger Scruton episode that you’ve been teasing us with for years).

Zachary Roussie

That was lovely! Feeling very parasocial rn, also now I'm in love with Sam's dad

Laura

When is Sam’s dad back on the podcast???

Kevin Trant

Also, I shouted "amen" at the mention of the holy trinity (mostly the mets)

Dan L

Congrats y'all. Hard to overstate how your show has shaped my thinking and brought me manageable levels of optimism and cynicism about my place in America and the Universe.

Dan L

If you two would be amenable, two mailbag episodes each year would be delightful. Also, please raise the Oakeshott episode in the ideas queue!!

Sam Timme

Re: Sam Tanenhaus' suggestion that you invite J.D. Vance on to discuss Christopher Smart's poem praising his cat..... If that ever happens, you should follow up with William Cowper's "The Sofa"! Congratulations on five years of very informative and enjoyable podcasting.

Kevin Bush

One of my favourite episodes yet and the first to move me to comment! Was an absolute joy to listen to something so suffused with friendship. Jesse and Will Menaker one after another had me in stitches. And Will Esptein’s song even managed to make this lapsed Catholic tear up a little. Happy birthday to Matt and here’s to 100 more 🍾

Lola Fayokun

Guffawed aloud several times! My heart is warm. Happy Birthday, Matt!

James Talley

My wife and I are stuck in our little house in rural Washington State, sick with covid, and she thinks I'm out here losing my mind because I keep laughing out loud. Your fault. I think I've listened to every single episode, and I've learned SO much. Thanks guys, love ya

Dan Anderson

Also! I wrote a piece about Posse Comitatus that references y’all’s work (I footnoted two of your episodes.) If it was not for y’all’s excellent work, I may never have tried my hand at writing and getting stuff published. https://strangematters.coop/history-of-posse-comitatus-far-right-militia/

Isaac Suárez

I liked the Will Menaker voicemail. Y’all were once played off against Chapo in a New Yorker piece (this show being the “classy, bourbon drinking show” juxtaposed against the “aimless and crass” CTH). I resented it as a Chapo fan, but it introduced me to y’all’s excellent show. Congrats on 100- keep up the good work!

Isaac Suárez

Congrats on 100, guys! Excited for the next 100.

Joseph Cutler

The whole KYECU

Sam

"Know Your Rights" is the right wing bizzaro name for KYE and it would be a YouTube channel and bourbon would only be slightly more front and center

Tim Combes

That cover picture is wigging me out. Every time I see pictures of you guys, I remember that I only vaguely know what you look like

Tim Combes

Daniel Denvir's message got me laughing out loud

vincent st-gelais

100th episode!! Bravo Matt, Sam, and Jesse.

Thomas Tighe

Couldn’t stop smiling when Will, Liz, and Brace chimed in. My parasocial worlds are coming together 🥹

Axel Herrera

Such a rewarding listen, congratulations on 100!

Dillon Lamb

Ditto!

Kathleen P. Lamothe

He's a real pro

Know Your Enemy

That medation thing: I was one of a half-dozen netroots-oriented leftish folks to speak at the 2005 Senate Democratic retreat. Exactly one senator acknowledged our existence at the bar afterwards!!

Rick Perlstein

very cute episode. 100 more!

Helena Latimer

Congratulations on episode 100 of the best podcast!

Sam Timme

Congratulations/Happy Birthday - also Will Menaker won this one, nice try everyone else

Nah

Looking good guys! And looking forward to this mailbag.

Rob

I'll be honest, I must be standing on a dislodged paver or something. He is taller, canonically and otherwise. - Sam

Know Your Enemy

wow Matt has always been canonically taller than Sam in my head. this changes things

c


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