Listen now (83 min) | My guest this week, filmmaker Rob Montz, is an unlikely figure: a libertarian-leaning Brown University graduate who loves ‘90s rap and produces politically inflected documentaries that push back against the orthodoxies of the mainstream media. Rob has featured me in several of his works, and so I thought it was time to return the favor and have him on TGS.
As a genius who is neither a billionaire nor a Christian, Kanye sounds as much like a narcissist as Trump does. The word is narcissist, this is a disappointing mediocre reality, not a Thomas Harris novel. The stupid part is that doesn’t make it any less of an existential threat.
Glenn, I'd be interested in your (and Rob's) reaction to the data and analysis in Streets of Gold, the new book from economic historians Ran Abramvitsky and Leah Boustan. The data may lead you to reconsider some of your positions on immigration.
Thanks for this interview, Glenn. Seems a sharp guy with a future. Watched his interview with Jay Bhattacharya and thought it excellent. Jay B. is impressive. But wish Rob would leave it with the put downs (in his Jay B. interview) of Tesla driving NPR listeners, which includes me. Just trying to do the right thing. Better to burn gasoline? And I know NPR is slanted and believe about half of what I hear. I even take in Rufo now and then. And you. And him. So he can leave the snide comments; I think maybe he's moved past needing to do that kind of thing. Maturity.
I praised Montz in my original post, and I still like him and his work very much. That said, while he’s probably right about Trump being “insane”, I find it hard to take him, John and any other stuffy, coastal elitist seriously when they confidently proclaim that Trump. It sounds hyperbolic, dismissive and snobby. It doesn’t sound serious. It just sounds and feels more like they’re talking down to folks in this “no, I know better” or “I look down upon you” way that’s unappealing and discrediting, even if they’re saying something perfectly credible.
This was excellent! Rob Montz is interesting and captivating with a whole lot of passion, but at the same time measured, tempered and very knowledgable.
I do wish that RM would have explained why he thinks DT is a psychopath. An explosive accusation like that should be accompanied with at least some explanation. I think most everyone sees the narcissism in DT bc it is so blatant, but psychopathy is not so clear. I would be very interested in hearing someone make this case like RM, who is intelligent, knowledgable and not politicized.
Though I was NOT impressed with the production value his Fryer doc, he seems like a smart guy, and, to be fair, I haven't bothered to watch any of his other work. The spell was broken by the end of the hour, however, when he slipped into the diction of Justin Timberlake. I mean, whenever I see a grown man hero-worshiping or fervently intellectualizing rap artists, my eyes roll back into my head. He plays Biggie for his kids?
Enjoyed the discussion about national borders and the Libertarian ideas. We need more discussion on the perceptions of what could or should replace borders before opening them up willy nilly! Could you address this topic sometime?
I must say that I was not a fan Rob Montz in this recording. The conviction he placed on his arguments seemed to stem from his belief in his intellectual heroes, which I suppose is fine if you believe your heroes to be infallible. I got the sense that his position stemmed from a "vibe" and grievance rather than any real empiricism. Maybe he is the of the vein of liberaltarians who are contrarian for for the sake of being a contrarian. Also, dunking on leftist and the "elites" isn't as impressive to me as it is to some. Is Usain Bolt trouncing an upstart high school track star anything special? Not that I think Montz is analogous to Bolt in this comparison. I eagerly await John's return next week!
13:13 An American Tail is set in the late 1800s and is about a family of mice from the Russian Empire emigrating to the US.
25:37 Fiery, but mostly peaceful.
This is a good talk. Prompts lots of opinions.
As a genius who is neither a billionaire nor a Christian, Kanye sounds as much like a narcissist as Trump does. The word is narcissist, this is a disappointing mediocre reality, not a Thomas Harris novel. The stupid part is that doesn’t make it any less of an existential threat.
Glenn, I'd be interested in your (and Rob's) reaction to the data and analysis in Streets of Gold, the new book from economic historians Ran Abramvitsky and Leah Boustan. The data may lead you to reconsider some of your positions on immigration.
Thanks for this interview, Glenn. Seems a sharp guy with a future. Watched his interview with Jay Bhattacharya and thought it excellent. Jay B. is impressive. But wish Rob would leave it with the put downs (in his Jay B. interview) of Tesla driving NPR listeners, which includes me. Just trying to do the right thing. Better to burn gasoline? And I know NPR is slanted and believe about half of what I hear. I even take in Rufo now and then. And you. And him. So he can leave the snide comments; I think maybe he's moved past needing to do that kind of thing. Maturity.
I praised Montz in my original post, and I still like him and his work very much. That said, while he’s probably right about Trump being “insane”, I find it hard to take him, John and any other stuffy, coastal elitist seriously when they confidently proclaim that Trump. It sounds hyperbolic, dismissive and snobby. It doesn’t sound serious. It just sounds and feels more like they’re talking down to folks in this “no, I know better” or “I look down upon you” way that’s unappealing and discrediting, even if they’re saying something perfectly credible.
This was excellent! Rob Montz is interesting and captivating with a whole lot of passion, but at the same time measured, tempered and very knowledgable.
I do wish that RM would have explained why he thinks DT is a psychopath. An explosive accusation like that should be accompanied with at least some explanation. I think most everyone sees the narcissism in DT bc it is so blatant, but psychopathy is not so clear. I would be very interested in hearing someone make this case like RM, who is intelligent, knowledgable and not politicized.
Though I was NOT impressed with the production value his Fryer doc, he seems like a smart guy, and, to be fair, I haven't bothered to watch any of his other work. The spell was broken by the end of the hour, however, when he slipped into the diction of Justin Timberlake. I mean, whenever I see a grown man hero-worshiping or fervently intellectualizing rap artists, my eyes roll back into my head. He plays Biggie for his kids?
What a great podcast with Rob Montz. I appreciated his exuberance and point of view not to mention his spot-on analysis of Donald Trump.
Thank you for adding links to Montz's work which I will check out at some point in time.
Enjoyed the discussion about national borders and the Libertarian ideas. We need more discussion on the perceptions of what could or should replace borders before opening them up willy nilly! Could you address this topic sometime?
I must say that I was not a fan Rob Montz in this recording. The conviction he placed on his arguments seemed to stem from his belief in his intellectual heroes, which I suppose is fine if you believe your heroes to be infallible. I got the sense that his position stemmed from a "vibe" and grievance rather than any real empiricism. Maybe he is the of the vein of liberaltarians who are contrarian for for the sake of being a contrarian. Also, dunking on leftist and the "elites" isn't as impressive to me as it is to some. Is Usain Bolt trouncing an upstart high school track star anything special? Not that I think Montz is analogous to Bolt in this comparison. I eagerly await John's return next week!