Best Daniel Bessner Podcasts (2025)

1
TRAILER SHOW: Daniel Bessner 25:10

4d ago25:10

25:10

Featured trailers for movies discussed with Daniel Bessner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy SpectreVision Radio

1
E337 - Sudan’s Endless War in Darfur and Beyond w/ Mat Nashed 1:23:51

2d ago1:23:51

1:23:51

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Derek and journalist Mat Nashed assess the state of Sudan’s ongoing civil war, particularly the fall of Al-Fasher and the Rapid Support Forces’ consolidation of control across much of Darfur. They discuss the throughline from the 2003 genocide to today; the wider humanitarian catastrophe; t…

1
DUST BUNNY writer/director Bryan Fuller 1:42:37

2h ago1:42:37

1:42:37

DUST BUNNEY writer/director Bryan Fuller discusses his favorite gateway horror films with Josh Olson and Joe Dante. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy SpectreVision Radio

1
Bonus - The Life and Death of Hollywood w/ Andrew deWaard (Preview) 9:57

5d ago9:57

9:57

Subscribe now for the full episode. Danny and Derek welcome back to the show media scholar Andrew deWaard to discuss Netflix’s reported acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and what it says about the economic forces driving contemporary media. They talk about how conglomeration and financialization have reshaped Hollywood; zero interest rates, ass…

1
Unlocked - Blowback: The Forgotten Cold War Front in Angola w/ Brendan James and Noah Kulwin 1:09:42

5d ago1:09:42

1:09:42

Subscribe now for immediate access to all of our bonus episodes. Danny and Derek welcome back Brendan James and Noah Kulwin, of the Blowback podcast, for a tour through their latest season, which takes the show to Angola. They discuss how Angola became one of the largest and least-remembered battlefields of the Cold War, Reagan’s return to proxy wa…

1
News - U.S. Moves Toward Venezuela Attack, Double-Tap Strike in Caribbean, DRC–Rwanda Peace Deal Collapses 52:21

7d ago52:21

52:21

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content. Don’t forget to download our Chinese Prestige miniseries, currently on sale for $5. Annual subscribers get the series free! Despite sitting on a large surplus of Labubus, Danny and Derek work hard to bring you the news. This week: in Russia-Ukraine, new US diplomacy goes nowhere (1:08), Ukraine is…

1
E336 - The Political Economy of Porn w/ Molly Lambert 58:28

10d ago58:28

58:28

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Danny and Derek welcome to the show Molly Lambert, creator of the JENNAWORLD podcast, to talk about the rise of the modern porn industry and its roots in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. They discuss the medium’s origins in underground stag films and the porno chic era; the shift to home video a…

1
AMERICAN PRESTIGE host, historian and author Daniel Bessner 1:06:17

10d ago1:06:17

1:06:17

Author/historian Daniel Bessner discusses his favorite dystopian films with Josh Olson and Joe Dante. Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode Vanishing Point (1971) Mad Max (1971) Casablanca (1941) Looper (2012) Hollywood Boulevard (1976) Chronicle (2012) Fruitvale Station (2013) Black Panther (2018) Knives Out (2019) Glass Onion: A Knives Ou…

1
Bonus - Capitalism After Neoliberalism w/ Ilias Alami (Preview) 9:39

12d ago9:39

9:39

Subscribe now to listen to the full episode and get access to all of our Sunday bonuses. Danny and Derek speak to Ilias Alami, assistant professor of political economy at Cambridge, about the global shift from neoliberalism to new forms of state capitalism. They discuss the rebalancing of economic power toward East Asia; sovereign wealth funds, pol…

1
Chinese Prestige: The Making of the PRC w/ Yidi Wu 51:26

14d ago51:26

51:26

Instead of a news roundup, we are releasing the second episode of our new miniseries ⁠Chinese Prestige⁠. Annual subscribers already have access, while everyone else can get the 8 episodes for $5 for two weeks only. This conversation examines China’s early post-Korean War period and the political and social campaigns that defined the new PRC. The gr…

1
Hyperfixed - Third Eye Blind 41:42

15d ago41:42

41:42

Danny speaks with Alex Goldman about his new podcast ⁠Hyperfixed⁠, in which he works to get to the bottom of listeners’ complex problems, or at least enough of an explanation that they’re ok with the annoyance. We have then provided the full episode of “Third Eye Blind,” where one Mitchell finds out he's missing something almost everyone else has, …

1
Chinese Prestige: From May Fourth to Mao w/ Yidi Wu 55:57

16d ago55:57

55:57

In lieu of a typical Tuesday episode this week, we are releasing the first episode of our new miniseries Chinese Prestige. Annual subscribers already have access, while everyone else can get the 8 episodes for a whopping $5 for two weeks only. Enjoy! In this first episode of Chinese Prestige, Yidi, Danny, and Derek trace the origins of the Chinese …

1
Special - Radio War Nerd in Print! w/ Mark Ames 20:23

11d ago20:23

20:23

Mark Ames of Radio War Nerd is on the program to tell us a little about the new book penned by his partner in podcast crime, John Dolan, titled They Should Have Been Hanged: War Nerd Essays on the U.S. Civil War.By Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison

1
Bonus - Liberal Zionism After Gaza w/ David Klion (Preview) 10:36

19d ago10:36

10:36

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our bonus Danny and Derek speak with writer and editor David Klion about the collapse of the liberal Zionist project and how the moral and political implication of the Gaza genocide have reshaped American Jewish identity. They discuss how October 7 and Israel’s assault on Gaza forced a reckoni…

1
Special - What Was Sarah Hurwitz Thinking? w/ Emily Tamkin (Preview) 5:47

13d ago5:47

5:47

Subscribe now to listen to the full episode. Danny and Derek are joined by the writer ⁠Emily Tamkin⁠ to discuss Sarah Hurwitz’s comments on the Holocaust, education, and the Jewish people.By Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison

1
News - MBS White House Visit, US Pushes New Ukraine Deal, UN Votes on Gaza 44:03

21d ago44:03

44:03

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Danny and Derek are praying for Kim Kardashian to pass the bar. In this week’s news: Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia visits the White House (1:56); the U.S. pushes a new Ukraine peace deal (8:58); Israel continues killing people in Gaza (12:30), Palestinians’ shelters are failing in hea…

1
E335 - Dignity, Memory, and Surveillance w/ Lea Ypi 1:01:18

24d ago1:01:18

1:01:18

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our episodes. Danny and Derek speak with political theorist and author Lea Ypi about her new book Indignity: A Life Reimagined, which explores how personal memory intersects with imperial collapse, nationalism, and the surveillance state. They discuss her grandmother’s journey from Ottoman Salonika to Al…

1
Bonus - The Trump Tariff Order and the Future of U.S. Influence w/ Nicholas Mulder 10:35

26d ago10:35

10:35

Danny and Derek welcome back historian Nick Mulder, writer at Weltinnenpolitik, to discuss Trump’s new tariff regime. They get into Trump’s focus on taxing goods while leaving finance untouched; how U.S. allies are obediently eating higher economic costs; why this approach resembles a “subscription model” of empire rather than a coherent industrial…

1
Special - Jeffrey Epstein and Elite Power w/ Murtaza Hussain (Preview) 5:28

27d ago5:28

5:28

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all news specials. Danny and Derek sit down with journalist Murtaza Hussain of ⁠Drop Site News⁠ to talk about his ongoing reporting on Jeffrey Epstein’s extensive political and financial influence. They get into how Epstein operated as a fixer and connector for powerful people and entities around the…

1
News - Thailand–Cambodia Ceasefire Breaks Down, U.S. Escalates Military Presence Around Venezuela, Gaza Ceasefire Framework Stalls w/ Nathaniel Powell 57:29

28d ago57:29

57:29

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our content! Danny and Derek are vigorously programmed to bring you the news headlines. This week: the Thai-Cambodia ceasefire breaks down as border fire and incidents escalate (0:30); in Gaza, Trump’s framework stalls while governments debate the shape and purpose of an international security force (4:2…

1
TRAILER SHOW: Edgar Wright 26:59

21d ago26:59

26:59

Selected trailers for movies discussed with Edgar Wright. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy SpectreVision Radio

1
Special - The American Jewish Divide w/ Jamie Beran (Preview) 5:38

29d ago5:38

5:38

Subscribe now to listen to the full episode. Danny talks with Jamie Beran, CEO of Bend the Arc, about the political and generational tension reshaping the American Jewish community. They discuss the fallout from Zoran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign in New York; the role of legacy institutions like the ADL; how debates over Israel-Palestine, antisemitis…

1
RUNNING MAN director Edgar Wright Returns! 1:24:41

1M ago1:24:41

1:24:41

Filmmaker/TFH Guru/Cinema Aficionado Edgar Wright returns to discuss a few of his favorite cinematic dystopian futures with Josh Olson and Joe Dante. Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) The Running Man (2025) Hellzapoppin (1941) The Chocolate War (1988) A Boy And His Dog (1975) Soylent Green (19…

1
E334 - Silicon Valley and the Israeli Occupation w/ Omar Zahzah 52:40

1M ago52:40

52:40

Subscribe now to skip the commercials and get all of our content. Derek is joined by Omar Zahzah, Assistant Professor of Arab Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies at San Francisco State University, to talk about his book Terms of Servitude: Zionism, Silicon Valley, and Digital Settler Colonialism. They discuss the Sheikh Jarrah uprising and the…

1
Special - Escalating Settler Violence in the West Bank w/ Jasper Nathaniel 54:45

1M ago54:45

54:45

Subscribe now for all of our breaking news specials. Danny and Derek talk with journalist Jasper Nathaniel about his reporting from the West Bank on settler attacks that have become routine and state-backed. They discuss the town of Turmus Aya, the far-right ministers pushing annexation, a mob attack on an American‐Palestinian lawyer’s neighbor, an…

1
Bonus - What Happened to Liberal Politics? w/ Tim Shenk (Preview) 10:26

1M ago10:26

10:26

Subscribe now for the full episode! Danny and Derek speak with historian Tim Shenk of George Washington University about how American liberalism lost its way. They discuss the Cold War purge of the left and the rise of the “vital center,” the Clinton-Obama years and the hollowing of class politics, the Democratic Party’s embrace of the professional…

1
20 Years Ago, Bloggingheads Was a Trailblazer, with Robert Wright 1:05:48

28d ago1:05:48

1:05:48

Bob Wright reflects on the legacy of the Bloggingheads.tv, the pioneering website he co-founded in 2005. Aryeh and Bob discuss how the site and the technology that powered it anticipated modern trends in online media. They also consider whether Twitter still has any use for journalists, the pros and cons of Substack, and whether Culturally Determin…

1
News - Trump Threatens to Invade Nigeria, Sudan Famine and RSF Offensive, Russia To Also Pursue More Nuclear Testing 57:29

1M ago57:29

57:29

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get all of our content! Air travel might grind to a halt, but our news roundup marches on. After reflections on the Mamdani victory (0:30), Danny and Derek get into this week’s stories: Trump threatens to invade Nigeria (10:10); in Israel-Palestine, a Gaza ceasefire update (19:31) and West Bank olive harvest violen…

1
Special - Dick Cheney (Preview) 10:32

1M ago10:32

10:32

Danny and Derek invite Spencer Ackerman to discuss the life and legacy of Dick Cheney. Check out Spencer's newsletter Forever Wars and his book Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump.By Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison

1
E333 - The Wagner Group and the New Era of Private War w/ John Lechner 1:06:42

1M ago1:06:42

1:06:42

Danny and Derek welcome journalist and author John Lechner to discuss his book, Death is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries in the New Era of Warfare. The conversation cuts through the mainstream narrative of the Wagner Group to explore the true history of Yevgeny Prigozhin, from his start as a product of post-Soviet "gangster capitalism" in 1990s S…

1
Bonus - The Men’s Suit and the Aesthetics of Power w/ Derek Guy (Preview) 10:22

1M ago10:22

10:22

Subscribe now to hear the full episode and get access to all of our Sunday bonuses! Danny speaks with writer and menswear critic Derek Guy about the politics of fashion, exploring how style reflects class, power, and ideology. They explore fashion’s moral economy, how neoliberalism turned personal style into a marker of moral worth, the influence o…

1
News - Trump Asia Tour and Xi Summit, RSF Massacres in Sudan, US Continues Bombing Boats Off South America Coast 54:17

1M ago54:17

54:17

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get more content! What’s spookier than international relations? This week in the news roundup: Trump tours Asia to talk trade deals (1:28), a Thai-Cambodia accord (7:11), and to meet with Xi (8:45); the RSF captures of Al-Fashir in Sudan with reports of mass killings (12:19); Gaza sees the deadliest day of Israeli …

1
AP x NonZero - Trump-Xi Truce, Gaza Ceasefire & Other Sketchy Deals 41:11

1M ago41:11

41:11

The greatest recurring crossover in the biz, between AP and ⁠NonZero Newsletter⁠, returns. ⁠Subscribe now to AP⁠ and you'll also get the overtime segment as well as a discounted membership to Nonzero! ⁠Part One Video⁠ (0:00) Bob tries to lower American Prestige’s self-esteem (3:07) The Trump-Xi trade talks (6:44) Making sense of Trump’s nuclear sab…

1
E332 - ICE and the Age of Grift w/ Alex Aviña 1:01:21

1M ago1:01:21

1:01:21

Subscribe now to skip the ads and get much more content! Alex Aviña is back on the podcast, this time to talk about the evolution of ICE and the U.S. security state. They discuss the convergence of the war on terror, the war on drugs, and the war on migrants; the transformation of the border into a domestic counterinsurgency project; ICE’s roots in…

1
Criterion Collection producer Karen Stetler 1:31:13

1M ago1:31:13

1:31:13

Karen Stetler shares some of her best experiences producing discs for The Criterion Collection with Josh Olson and Joe Dante. Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode Black Narcissus (1947) The Apple (1980) A History of Violence (2005) Raging Bull (1980) Dead Ringers (1988) Naked Lunch (1991) Scanners (1981) Crash (1996) The Brood (1979) Video…

1
Bonus - The Forever War in Ukraine w/ Andrew Weiss (Preview) 10:32

2M ago10:32

10:32

Subscribe now for the full episode and access to all of our Sunday bonuses! Danny and Derek welcome to the program Andrew Weiss, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin. They discuss the state of the war in Ukraine, the Biden and Trump administra…

1
News - Gaza Ceasefire Tenuous, US Strikes More “Drug Boats,” Saudi State Visit 55:23

2M ago55:23

55:23

Rest assured, no one on the AP team has any undeclared tattoos. In this week’s news roundup: In Israel-Palestine, Gaza’s so-called ceasefire holds after another weekend of Israeli strikes (1:36), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders Israel to allow more humanitarian aid (8:16), and reports emerge of a plan to partition Gaza (11:48) as J.…

1
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere author WARREN ZANES 1:46:23

1M ago1:46:23

1:46:23

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere author Warren Zanes discusses the ten most important Bruce Springsteen songs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy SpectreVision Radio

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