Jaywalking | National Review

Jay talks about issues timely and timeless, grave and light.

Jay talks about issues timely and timeless, grave and light. He has help from Verdi and three other composers -- including Burt Bacharach (along with his lyric-writing partner, Hal David).

Jay speaks of Kim Kardashian -- and of Kim Kashkashian. Plus: Reagan, Trump, Ed Schultz, Serena Williams, and others -- including the Gabor sisters.

Jay speaks of Kim Kardashian -- and of Kim Kashkashian, a distinguished violist. Important to tell them apart. He also speaks of Reagan, Trump, Ed Schultz, Serena Williams, and others -- including the Gabor sisters. In a way, they were Kardashian before it was cool.

Jay starts with a phrase from long ago -- “a thousand points of light” -- and ends with some music, heard in the darkness of Iraq under ISIS.

Jay starts with a phrase from long ago -- “a thousand points of light” -- and ends with some music, heard in the darkness of Iraq under ISIS. The music in this episode is eclectic: a couple of pop songs from the late 1980s; a national anthem (the best one?); and, finally, that music heard in Iraq, from the soundtrack of a Holocaust movie.

Jay has a few subjects historical: Neville Chamberlain, Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan. He has a few subjects current, too: Trump, Putin, Kim.

Jay has a few subjects historical: Neville Chamberlain, Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan. He has a few subjects current, too: Trump, Putin, Kim (the latest one). His musical assists come from Takemitsu, the Japanese composer; Handel, the German composer who was an honorary Englishman; and Drigo, Riccardo Drigo, a long-forgotten Italian who worked in Russia. Jay is bringing him back, with the help of one of the greatest tenors in history.

Jay Nordlinger “jaywalks” from subject to subject and place to place: social conservatism, in Nevada and elsewhere; freedom of the press, in France and elsewhere; a Dutchy town in Michigan; and a noble tragedy in South Dakota.

Jay Nordlinger “jaywalks” from subject to subject and place to place: social conservatism, in Nevada and elsewhere; freedom of the press, in France and elsewhere; a Dutchy town in Michigan; and a noble tragedy in South Dakota. There is some dance music, for no extra charge (clogs required).

Jay talks California, conservatism, personal responsibility, and trade -- with some help from three singers: Al Jolson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bryn Terfel. “Don’t be late.”

At the beginning, Jay says, “Got a slew of issues for you, and some music to go with.” This proves to be true. He talks about the opioid crisis, Seattle, the flag, the Gap, and more. And he does it with a little help from his friends -- among them Elton John and Kander & Ebb. A track or four of music helps the medicine go down.

Jay does a kind of tour, touching on some burning issues and some less burning ones. He talks about the Nobel Peace Prize, a movie about Stalin, and “realism.” Personalities include Marco Rubio, Bill Cosby, and J. D. McClatchy. The podcast is not without music -- from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shostakovich, and Beethoven. Come take the tour.

In this episode, Jay talks music, and plays some recordings – starting with a couple of fantasies. So, trip the light fantastic, with some arias and other things thrown in too.

Something Mitt Romney said reminded Jay of what Hillary Clinton once said -- to him (Jay). H. R. McMaster delivered an important message. Eliot A. Cohen unearthed an extraordinary (early) American. A man learned a painful lesson in Alaska.