Episode 88: We're Gonna Party Like It's 1999 — with Ross Benes

The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast

National Review

News, Politics, Music, Arts, Books, Music History

5 • 1000 Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On episode 88, Charles talks to Ross Benes about his new book, '1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times.' Among the topics they discuss are how Jerry Springer helps explain Donald Trump, how 'kayfabe' took over the world, how porn explains much of Internet, how video games became respectable, and whether it matters that the elite class watches completely different television than most voters.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to episode 88 of the Charles C.W. Cook podcast.
0:27.6	This week's show is brought to you by the Future of Freedom podcast. If you're tired of political shouting matches and surface level takes,
0:41.0	check out the Future of Freedom podcast hosted by Scott Bertram, who you might know from
0:47.3	National Review's political beats. Scott is a great guy, a friend of mine, and he's produced a smart,
0:53.9	thoughtful podcast that brings conservatives and libertarians together.
0:58.9	Not to argue, but to explore ideas.
1:02.4	This is not a debate show.
1:04.8	Guests are invited to build their own case, sharpen their thinking, and engage with people who actually listen. It's a rare kind of
1:13.3	show, and it's a sort of show, that respects the audience. So if that sounds appealing to you,
1:19.9	check out the Future of Freedom podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your
1:27.4	shows.
1:33.7	My guest this week is Ross Benish, the author of a book titled 1999, the year
1:41.8	Low Culture Concord America and Kickstarted our bizarre times. Ross, welcome to the
1:49.0	Charles C.W. Cook podcast. Hey, great to be here. All right. So let me start with the obvious
1:54.9	question, which is what on earth do you mean? Why did 1999 and its low culture conquer America? Why did it kickstart our bizarre times?
2:06.6	Well, what I'm getting at is just that the trashiest entertainment from 25 years ago has a profound
2:12.1	impact on our society today. So, you know, we like to focus on highbrow stuff and how great art and
2:19.4	pop culture is. But I think we live in a world shaped more by Jerry Springer and early
2:24.4	internet porn than we do by great television shows. Why 1999, though, we've had lowbrow culture
2:33.0	and trash throughout history.
2:35.5	Yeah, that's a fair point.
2:36.4	But I think in the 90s, there was two things that happened.
	...

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