PODCAST · history
The Tower Record
by The Tower Record
The Tower Record is a podcast about post-9/11 politics, history, and culture, hosted by Kevin Conway and Sarah Szabo. New episodes every Tuesday.
Episodes
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Ep. 75 - The Clash of Civilizations: Geopolitics for Dummies
In 1996, Samuel P. Huntington published "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order," an influential book of geopolitical analysis that purported to identify a new post-Cold War global paradigm — the "clash of civilizations" thesis. The book both channeled and had an outsized...
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Ep. 74 - 2 World Trade Center — Who Pays to Build a Building?
In this episode: TTR discusses the long, tortured, and ongoing story behind the building of 2 World Trade Center, the yet-to-be-completed skyscraper intended to inherit the original tower's name. Long in the planning but slow to actually be made, the reasons behind its protracted development are...
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Ep. 73 - John Q.
TTR discusses "John Q.", the under-discussed and apparently critically-reviled 2002 American health care thriller starring Denzel Washington and directed by Nick Cassavetes. "Dog Day Afternoon" by way of M4A, it is somehow one of the most-watched movies of Sarah's youth. And despite being one of...
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Ep. 72 - Towers of Light
TTR discusses the Tribute in Light, the iconic art installation that commemorates 9/11 each year in downtown NYC. Follow The Tower Record everywhere: https://linktr.ee/thetowerrecord Subscribe to TTR on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTowerRecord New episodes every Tuesday morning. Music by...
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Ep. 71 - The Trauma Response — PTSD After 9/11
After the events of 9/11, experts anticipated an epidemic of PTSD could soon sweep the United States. What actually happened was significantly more nuanced, in a way that helped shape the modern understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder. Health and science journalist Catherine Roberts joins...
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Ep. 70 - 9/11: 25 Years Later
And we're all still here. Follow The Tower Record everywhere: https://linktr.ee/thetowerrecord Subscribe to TTR on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTowerRecord New episodes every Tuesday morning. Music by Rrrrrose Azerty. Recorded September 14, 2026 in Astoria, Queens.
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Ep. 69 - GTA: San Andreas
As part of the lead-up to the long awaited GTA VI, TTR discusses a high water mark of western culture, post-9/11 or otherwise: the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, one of the greatest video games of all time. Discussion of game design, cultural impact, and hot coffee awaits you within....
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Ep. 68 - Lawrence Van Sertima and the Snakebite Flight
For Florida-based snake handler Lawrence Van Sertima, September 11, 2001 was a very bad day for a very unique reason. In this episode: the myths, misconceptions, and ultimately true story behind one of the only civilian flights allowed to take to the skies over North America after the attacks of...
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Ep. 67 - Spider-Man 2
TTR discusses "Spider-Man 2," one of the most successful and era-defining movies of the 2000s. Long regarded as a classic of its genre, it has also long had a reputation for carrying a message of post-9/11 American solidarity. But how does it all hold up, 22 years divorced from context and 7 or…
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Ep. 66 - War All The Time
TTR discusses "War All The Time," the major label debut from New Jersey post-hardcore/emo band Thursday, which was released in September 2003 into a post-'90s, post-9/11 world that truly had begun to feel tainted by war, all of the time. Follow The Tower Record everywhere:...
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Ep. 65 - Bin Laden's Mountain Fortress
Deep inside the White Mountains of Afghanistan, an immortal warlord waits inside his fortified castle for the enemy to attack — or so the press suggested, days before coalition troops actually got a look at what was really going down inside the caves of Tora Bora. Follow The Tower Record...
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Ep. 64 - Stuxnet
In the waning days of the decade 2000-2009, a computer worm that would come to be known as Stuxnet quietly emerged as the most complex and imposing piece of malware ever seen. Security technicians quickly determined that the worm displayed an alarming degree of sophistication, precision, and...
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Ep. 63 - 12 Strong Horse Soldiers vs. the Taliban (2018)
TTR discusses "12 Strong: The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers," starring Chris Hemsworth and directed by Nicolai Fuglsig. Is this film, which has perhaps the most scientifically average movie reviews in the history of the medium, actually a hidden gem? Is the story behind it, based…
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Ep. 62 - Minoru Yamasaki — Architect of the WTC
TTR again delves into the history of the Twin Towers, as Kevin discusses the life and work of Minoru Yamasaki, the architect who designed the original World Trade Center. Meanwhile, Sarah treads water and pretends to know what a building is. Audio note: Sarah used a different mic this time for…
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Ep. 61 - 4th of July, 2003
Kevin and Sarah compromise another vacation to spend time together rediscovering another strange post-9/11 day. Yes, someone starts running a leaf blower 30-odd minutes into this thing. We move inside 10 minutes later. Thank you for holding it down with us this holiday season. Content warning: We...
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Ep. 60 - The Great American — Lee Greenwood and "God Bless the U.S.A."
From the midway point of the Reagan years to the reign of Donald Trump, Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." has been *the* modern anthem of American pride and patriotism. Inspired by LG's involvement in the Great American State Fair (and related proceedings from Freedom 250), TTR digs into the...
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Ep. 59 - Minority Report
The Spielberg two-fer continues and concludes with good-ass movie Minority Report, released in 2002, predicting the future and making it look easy. Also discussed — the short story by Philip K. Dick from which the movie is adapted. Follow The Tower Record everywhere:...
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Ep. 58 - War of the Worlds (2005)
It's a Steven Spielberg extravaganza as TTR goes in on two very different post-9/11 movies from America's schmaltziest filmmaker. Next week is where we talk about the good movie; this week is the one that sucks ass. Plus! Disclosure Day discussion, as Sarah reveals she knows way too much about...
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Ep. 57 - GTA: Vice City
TTR's "Grand Theft Auto" miniseries continues apace with a quick trip down to the southern tip of Florida, with an examination of another game that really set the tone of post-9/11 culture, especially as it pertains to the rise of 80s nostalgia. Follow The Tower Record everywhere:...
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Ep. 56 - Do Not Let the Hatred of a People Lead You to Injustice
"Islamophobia" feels too soft a term for the social and political hell that met Islam, Muslims, and anyone who "looked Muslim" in the decades, years, and even minutes following the attacks of September 11. The true depth of anti-Muslim brutality that the US unleashed upon itself and the world is...
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Ep. 55 - Tiger Cruise
Today on our podcast about post-9/11 history, politics, and culture: Tiger Cruise, the 52nd Disney Channel Original Movie, about what it's like to be a teenage girl on a US naval aircraft carrier, arguing with your dad, when 9/11 happens. As mentioned in the intro, there's a few audio errors in...
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Ep. 54 - Save Rudy
It's Sarah vs. Kevin in TTR's first debate-style episode! The format? Policy debate. The topic? "Resolved: The United States federal government should provide free medical care to Rudy Giuliani." Production note: Might be a touch of audio wonkiness on this ep, which I've worked to address,...
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Ep. 53 - The Bush-Blair Affair (w/Robert Neumark Jones)
Actor and podcaster Robert Neumark Jones joins Kevin to commence the restoration of US-UK diplomatic relations, and also demand to know why US foreign policy is making his mortgage go up. Follow The Tower Record everywhere: https://linktr.ee/thetowerrecord Listen to Bliss of the Abyss here:...
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Ep. 52 - Why Did the King and Queen Visit the 9/11 Memorial?
On April 29, 2026, His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom made an historic visit to America, stopping off at New York City's 9/11 Memorial for a brief visit. The Tower Record discusses why. Programming note: Sarah's off for a week; we're planning on having an ep on...
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Ep. 51 - Did Firefighters Really Steal Jeans from the Gap on 9/11?
Well — Did they? I tried to think of so many punny wordplay titles for this, but nothing gets at the anesthetizing weirdness of this premise like just doing away with all artifice and wit and plainly posing this question to you, the audience, and us, the researchers. This story is insane btw P.S....
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Ep. 50 - Baghdad Billions!
In this episode: stealing Saddam's gold! With a series of executive orders, lax organization, and a network of eager participants, the United States liberates another nation of its resources and dares the world to take notice — a familiar story, at this point, no? Follow The Tower Record...
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Ep. 49 - Tell God to Blow the Wind from the West
Sensitive content warning: Harrowing audio throughout. On September 11, 2001, at 9:54 am, Kevin Cosgrove laid in the northwest corner of the 105th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center, and he called 911. Five minutes later, he died, killed with almost a thousand other people as the...
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Ep. 48 - The Callery Pear
The Callery pear tree (or Bradford pear tree) saved from the wreckage of Ground Zero has been called "the last living thing pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center." In this episode, TTR presents its complete history, bookended by an elaborate examination of the appeals and pitfalls of...
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Ep. 47 Supplemental - The Arnold Lists
TTR doesn't have a subscribers-only bonus feed yet, so when S&K talk for ten minutes about their top 5 Arnolds in the middle of a discussion on an otherwise on-topic, post-9/11 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, everybody gets to hear it, if they want. Follow The Tower Record everywhere:...
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Ep. 47 - Collateral Damage
A firefighter suffers immense tragedy when terrorists strike on American soil one dark day. It's not real life — it's Collateral Damage, the 2002 (née 2001) action-thriller movie starring TTR fave Arnold Schwarzenegger, delayed and edited in response to the events of 9/11! They shoulda blown this...
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Ep. 46 - The Pet Goat
On 9/11, terrorists struck, and President Bush just sat there, reading a children's story to a classroom in the nation's hour of need. Or did he? TTR digs into the truth about the oft-repeated meme, laying out the reality of a widely-misunderstood story. Follow The Tower Record everywhere:...
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Ep. 45 - In the Days of Our Youth We Were Told What It Means to Be Patriots (w/Tom Junod)
Award-winning writer Tom Junod joins TTR to discuss his memories of working as a journalist in post-9/11 New York, researching and writing "The Falling Man" for Esquire with Andrew Chaikivsky in 2003, and his masterful new memoir, "In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man."...
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Ep. 44 - Memorabilia Mori
In which The Tower Record and TTR's mutual friend come back from the bar and go shopping on eBay for the never forgettiest items the nation ever forgot about. Play along: Kevin's list: September 11th 15th Anniversary Never Forget Tribute Sculpture Lights Up Thomas Kinkade commemorative lighthouse...
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Ep. 43 - STFU 2026
The Tower Record breaks from chronology to take a giant leap forward, analyzing and reacting to Donald Trump's 2026 State of the Union address, a quarter-century into the post-9/11 era. Unlike the SOTU, the podcast also discusses, exhaustedly if not exhaustingly, the US and Israel launching their...
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Ep. 42 - Addressing the Haters
The Tower Record examines two pivotal post-9/11 addresses from President George W. Bush. In one, he appeals to the world for its sympathy. In the next, he lays out for that same world a detailed plot to destroy it. Follow The Tower Record everywhere: https://linktr.ee/thetowerrecord New episodes...
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Ep. 41 - Grand Theft Auto III
The Tower Record discusses and reminisces about Grand Theft Auto III — a landmark piece of video game history, an extremely fun experience, and an unforgettable cultural touchstone of the post-9/11 era. Follow The Tower Record everywhere: https://linktr.ee/thetowerrecord New episodes every…
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Ep. 40 - Super Bowl XXXVI
The Tower Record discusses the first post-9/11 Super Bowl in 2002, analyzing the rise of the security state, the treacly U2 halftime show, and the startlingly paranoid commercials. This is an NYC-Boston alliance podcast. Go Pats. Follow The Tower Record everywhere…
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Ep. 39 - Severe Clear
"The sky was so blue that day." In this episode, The Tower Record runs the gamut from meteorology to memoir to poetry to culture at large, examining every imaginable angle of September 11's indelible clear blue sky. Follow The Tower Record everywhere: https://linktr.ee/thetowerrecord Read "Hum"…
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Bonus Ep. - The Tarot Speaks!
The Tower Record becomes the Tarot Record as Sarah drags Kevin to the sacred altar to divine the future and make sure 9/11 never happens again. Normal eps resume next week! Follow The Tower Record everywhere: https://linktr.ee/thetowerrecord Music by Rrrrrose Azerty. Recorded January 19, 2026 in...
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Bonus Ep. - A Walk in Green-Wood
Taking a break from the holiday break, Sarah takes the Zoom on a walk in Green-Wood Cemetery, reflecting on a few of the ways the grounds have intersected with the events of September 11, and American history at large. Follow The Tower Record everywhere: https://linktr.ee/thetowerrecord Recorded...
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GHOULIANI — Part Five: Melting Before Our Eyes
In a five-part series, The Tower Record discusses the life and career of the 107th mayor of New York City — America's Mayor — Rudy Giuliani. In this final episode: Failed ambitions and the deal with the Devil. Follow The Tower Record everywhere: https://linktr.ee/thetowerrecord Recorded December…
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GHOULIANI — Part Four: America's Mayor
In a five-part series, The Tower Record discusses the life and career of the 107th mayor of New York City — America's Mayor — Rudy Giuliani. In this episode: Rudy's grip on the city weakens as his second term slouches to a close. His future feels unknowable — until the attacks of September 11...
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GHOULIANI — Part Three: Through the Broken Window
In a five-part series, The Tower Record discusses the life and career of the 107th mayor of New York City — America's Mayor — Rudy Giuliani. In this episode: Leveraging the fulcrums of crime and racial anxiety, Rudy campaigns and triumphs in his quest for elected office. But who will bear the…
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GHOULIANI — Part Two: Qui Pro Domina Justitia Sequitur
In a five-part series, The Tower Record discusses the life and career of the 107th mayor of New York City — America's Mayor — Rudy Giuliani. In this episode: It's not what you know, it's who you know – and who you will let transform you. From New York to Washington to Miami and back again, Rudy...
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GHOULIANI — Part One: Son of the Sad Mafioso
In a five-part series, The Tower Record discusses the life and career of the 107th mayor of New York City — America's Mayor — Rudy Giuliani. In this episode: Born from recent immigrants, a family breaks two ways — one to the fringes of the New York Mafia, one towards the doorstep of the nation's...
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Ep. 33 - Kingdom of Heaven
Rise a knight! Not too long after the movie's 20th anniversary, The Tower Record discusses one of their favorite movies — Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut). Ignored in theaters, and butchered by its theatrical presentation, its restored version has endured as one of the most...
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Ep. 32 - Post-Traumatic Theater Hop
After the traumatic events of September 11, 2001, The Tower Record goes to the movies for a respite, finding the end of an era is happening in more ways than one. Movies discussed: Hardball, The Glass House, The Musketeer, Two Can Play That Game, The Others, Rush Hour 2, Jeepers Creepers…
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Ep. 31 - Holding the Bagram
Amid threats to go and reclaim it, Kevin and Sarah discuss the by turns embarrasing, enraging, absurd and dark world of American-occupied Bagram Airfield in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. Follow The Tower Record everywhere: https://linktr.ee/thetowerrecord Music by Rrrrrose Azerty. Recorded...
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Ep. 30 - The Disintegration Loops
In honor of the release of the new Arcadia Archive Edition from Temporary Residence Records, Kevin and Sarah discuss the pre-and-post-9/11 origin story of one of the most remarkable works of experimental music ever made: The Disintegration Loops, by William Basinski. Follow The Tower Record...
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Ep. 29 - Cade the Tortured Crossing
In a spooOooky Halloween episode of The Tower Record, Kevin, Sarah, and Amelia discuss the purported case of a purported boy who purportedly came to realize that he is the purported reincarnation of a victim of the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11. Could it be true? Could it be... not? Amelia...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Tower Record have?
The Tower Record currently has 78 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Tower Record about?
The Tower Record is a podcast about post-9/11 politics, history, and culture, hosted by Kevin Conway and Sarah Szabo. New episodes every Tuesday.
How often does The Tower Record release new episodes?
The Tower Record has 78 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Tower Record?
You can listen to The Tower Record on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Tower Record?
The Tower Record is created and hosted by The Tower Record.
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