PodParley Podparley
PodParley Podparley

Episode 153: Sean Trende / Van Halen

Listen to this episode

0:00 / 0:00

Summary

First published

12/11/2025

Genres

music history

Duration

192 minutes

Parent Podcast

Political Beats

View Podcast

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

  • Can You Be Good and Great?

    04/02/2026

    [Vote for Firewall and help us win our first Webby Award! https://bit.ly/firewallwebby]Is it possible to build the most powerful technology in human history while remaining a genuinely decent person, or does that kind of greatness require a willingness to burn everything down? Sebastian Mallaby, author of The Infinity Machine, joins Bradley to argue that Demis Hassabis may be the rarest breed: a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and world-changing CEO who cares deeply about safety. But as Mallaby and Bradley explore the coming political reckoning with AI, the big unknown is what sort of catastrophe it will take for our leaders to bring this technology under control.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.Firewall nominated for a Webby Award! Vote today and support us for best individual episode - interview or talk show - for Bradley's interview with then-candidate Zohran Mamdani in April 2025. We’re up against Oprah, so we’ll need all the votes we can get! It only takes 10 seconds - thanks in advance. Vote here before April 16: https://bit.ly/firewallwebbySend us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: [email protected] to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

    Clean
  • It's Way Too Early for the Horse Race

    03/31/2026

    We all need to stop worrying about who the Democrats will nominate in 2028, argues Bradley. Unless it's someone from the far Left, the main candidates are essentially interchangeable — structural conditions, not the picayune distinctions between them, will determine the outcome. Plus, Bradley and Hugo discuss what makes life worthwhile, trade basketball stories, and discuss why starting a band might be the answer to everything that ails us.Discussed on today's episode:Start a Band, Even if You’re Terrible, by Hugo Lindgren, The New York Times (03/22/26)Why Sweden punches above its weight in music, by Henrik Karlsson (03/21/23)The Web of the Game, by Roger Angell, The New Yorker (07/13/81)This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: [email protected] to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

    Clean
  • The Left Broke America. Can It Be Fixed?

    03/26/2026

    How did the Democratic party drift so far from the real interests of the poor and working class it historically championed? Legendary journalist Joe Klein joins Firewall to argue that the rot starts with his own generation — Baby Boomers — who indoctrinated two generations of Americans in ideals that have never worked in the real world. Bradley and Joe find surprising common ground on three big fixes.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: [email protected] to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

    Clean
  • How Many Liberal-Arts Majors Does It Take to Fix a Toilet?

    03/23/2026

    On the eve of a college trip with his son, Bradley reflects on the murky future that kids are facing and how education will have to be massively rethought. Plus, he thoroughly debunks the concept of the all-powerful Israel lobby, chastises the Mamdani administration for policies that will adversely affect quality of life, and contemplates how to manage the level of difficult news we let into our lives.This episode was taped at P&T Knitwear at 180 Orchard Street — New York City’s only free podcast recording studio.Send us an email with your thoughts on today’s episode: [email protected] to Bradley's weekly newsletter and follow Bradley on Linkedin + Substack + YouTube.

    Clean

Similar Podcasts

  • Challenging the Rhetoric with Roberts

    08/06/2020

    Cheri Roberts

    No political endorsements. No corporate dollars. No hype. No lies.Meet the Press Meets The View? Who knows, but it sounds like a great model to strive for!Challenging the Rhetoric (CTR) – HASHTAGS: #CTR Join host, Cheri Roberts, and guests, for engaging conversations about news and current events.Callers are invited to call-in @ (646) 787-1790 during the live broadcast.FOLLOW @CTRNewsFeed on TwitterAlso,Sickness of Silence (SOS) – HASHTAGS: #CTR #SOS #ChildAbuseCTRs special monthly series featuring both male and female victims of childhood sexual abuse. Our words have always held the power to stop abuse, but it is one’s own inability to listen to and share uncomfortable truths that have allowed families to maintain their semblance of normalcy while what happens behind closed doors is anything but normal. Callers are invited to call-in @ (646) 787-1790 during the live broadcast.FOLLOW @CTRNewsFeed on Twitter

    Clean
  • P2PRadio

    08/06/2020

    P2Pradio

    It's time for a true political movement that has one thing in mind: Fighting For You. This is your voice. This is your movement. Welcome to the Party

    Clean
  • Turning Left with Jason Allen

    08/06/2020

    Turning Left

    Turning Left with Jason Allen is a weekly progressive political talk show that tackles the news and interviews the biggest names in politics.

    Clean
  • Firewall with Bradley Tusk

    08/06/2020

    Firewall

    Politics, technology and the pursuit of happiness. Twice a week, Bradley Tusk, New York-based political strategist and venture investor, covers the collision between new ideas and the real world. His operating thesis is that you can't understand tech today without understanding politics, too. Recorded at P&T Knitwear, his bookstore / podcast studio, 180 Orchard Street, New York City.

    Clean
  • Play For Voices

    08/06/2020

    Play For Voices

    Play for Voices is a podcast of international audio drama. Our show presents new productions of contemporary and classic audio plays from around the world, exploring their aesthetic, social, and political contexts through inventive, multilingual sound design and supplemental interviews with authors, translators, and other interesting people. We produce English-language plays and plays in English translation.Audio drama is a highly flexible dramatic form that encourages experimentation and encompasses narrative, lyric, serials, and standalone plays of varying lengths. Inspired by the resurgence of audio storytelling in the United States, Play for Voices aims to build an inclusive audience of listeners for international audio drama, and to promote dialogue among the literary, theater, and audio art communities through our productions and occasional live events. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener no

    Clean
  • Sidebar

    08/06/2020

    The Washington Post

    The Washington Post’s Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann gather for a weekly in-depth conversation about politics and power. From presidential candidates to members of Congress to the judicial system, Sidebar dives deep on the topics and people at the forefront of the political conversation.The crew sits down each Thursday (with the occasional breaking news episode) to discuss what has happened that week, and what’s coming up the next week – with guest appearances from Washington Post reporters.

    Clean
  • Foros Generales

    08/06/2020

    Foros Generales

    Revista con información y entretenimiento para el resto de nosotros. Temas de política y economía internacional; arte, cultura y espectáculos; fitness, salud y nutrición; moda y estilos. Visítanos en www.forosgenerales.com

    Clean
  • Criterion Politics Podcast

    08/06/2020

    Alec Williams

    Jake and Alec, student writers for Colorado Mesa University's the Criterion, discuss politics, both global and local.

    Clean
  • Russian Roulette

    08/06/2020

    CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

    Hosted by Max Bergmann and Dr. Maria Snegovaya of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at CSIS, Russian Roulette explores the politics, history, and complex societies of Russia and Eurasia. Tune in for fascinating interviews and discussions on some of the biggest questions facing the broader post-Soviet space. Produced by Tina Dolbaia and Nick Fenton.

    Clean
  • MitchellTalks

    08/06/2020

    Mostly Harmless Media

    News coverage in Oklahoma is shrinking, and as a consequence the once robust opinion and analysis space has virtually vanished. Long-time television and radio news analyst Scott Mitchell's MitchellTalks podcast provides a 'new media' option for opinion and analysis on Oklahoma news, politics, education, and lifestyle. Now part of Mostly Harmless Media.

    Clean
  • Black Issues Forum Series: 2015-16

    08/06/2020

    UNC-TV

    Hosts Mitch Lewis and Natalie Bullock Brown discuss issues affecting North Carolina's African American community. Each week, Black Issues Forum presents a diverse panel of guests discussion topics on an unlimited number of topics including politics, social concerns, health, education, justice, entertainment, technology, public policy, media and who’s who. Through weekly discussions, viewers are provided information they can use to hopefully improve their lives and the world around them.

    Clean

Episode Description

<p>Scot and Jeff discuss Van Halen with Sean Trende.</p><p><strong>Introducing the Band:</strong><br />Your hosts Scot Bertram (<a href="https://twitter.com/ScotBertram">@ScotBertram</a>) and Jeff Blehar (<a href="https://twitter.com/EsotericCD">@EsotericCD</a>) with guest Sean Trende. Sean is senior elections analyst at <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/sean_trende/">Real Clear Politics</a> and visiting scholar at the<a href="https://www.aei.org/profile/sean-trende/"> American Enterprise Institute</a>. His new podcast with co-host (and fellow <i>Political Beats</i> guest) Jay Cost, is <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/cd/podcast/stubborn-things/id1855549216"><i>Stubborn Things</i></a>. Find him on X at @<a href="https://x.com/SeanTrende">SeanTrende</a>.</p><p><strong>Sean’s Music Pick:</strong> Van Halen</p><p>Wait, haven’t we covered Van Halen before? Indeed, we have. Way back when on Episode One. This is a complete re-recording of that show, giving these guys the coverage they deserve. At the beginning, frankly, we weren't exactly sure how the show was going to sound. Now that we’ve figured things out, Van Halen gets its due.</p><p>Few bands rewired rock ‘n’ roll the way these guys did, and fewer still made it look so fun. From the moment Eddie unleashed the lightning bolt that is “Eruption,” the landscape of guitar playing, and rock music itself, changed forever. In this episode, we set the stage for the band’s rise, the L.A. club days, and the swagger that defined their early sound.</p><p>We start with the raw, unstoppable energy of <i>Van Halen</i> and <i>Van Halen II</i>. Then it’s into the darker edge of <i>Fair Warning</i> and the pop-metal perfection of <i>1984</i>, complete with “Panama,” “Hot for Teacher,” and the synthesizer-powered “Jump.” Then David Lee Roth leaves and ends our story.</p><p>No, of course not! We explore the band’s bold reinvention during the Sammy Hagar years, when albums like <i>5150</i>, <i>OU812</i>, and <i>For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge</i> pushed Van Halen into new sonic territory and to the top of the charts again. Songs like “Best of Both Worlds,” “Love Walks In,” and “Right Now” proved the band could evolve while still keeping that unmistakable Van Halen spark.</p><p>Along the way, we dig into the stories behind the music  some of these are big fun) and examine how the band’s combustible chemistry created not just drama, but brilliance. And we talk about the lineup changes, tours, reunions, breakups, and makeups. Gary Cherone even gets a mention.</p><p>Join us as we explore the thunderous riffs, the outrageous personalities, and the sheer fun that made Van Halen one of rock’s most iconic bands.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

just now