2022 at the PREVAIL Podcast

Looking back at the year's most popular episodes.

In 2022, an interval comprising some of season two and season four and all of season three, I released 41 new episodes of the PREVAIL podcast. There were interviews with authors, journalists, senators, filmmakers, war correspondents, college professors, therapists, attorneys, and retired FBI agents—a healthy mix of guests, all of whom, without exception, I found fascinating.

I’d like to thank my guests for taking the time to come on the show. I’d also like to acknowledge Kanai Williams and Molly Hawkey for helping me put it together every week, Allison Gill and MSW Media for having me on the network, and my biggest sponsor, Better Help—which, by the way, is a terrific service that I’ve used myself and recommended to people who have no idea I even have a show.

Over the last 12 months, PREVAIL had well over a third of a million downloads. On Apple, the show has almost 500 reviews (!), most of them for five stars (!!). Thanks so much for that! The little song parodies and fake ads that feature in every episode between the opening monologue and the interview proper are some of the most fun I have every week. Thanks for indulging me in my silliness, and letting me achieve, in some small way, my grade school dream of wanting to be Weird Al.

To make the list of the most popular episodes, I was going to just go by total downloads. But that metric suffers from whatever the opposite of recency bias is, because an episode released in January has more months to accumulate downloads than an episode released two weeks ago. So I also used the “past seven days” metric, and added the episodes that didn’t finish in the top ten for the year but had the most downloads after the first week.

Here, then, is the list:

Best First Week, 2022

“MAGA Apostate (with Melissa Jo Peltier),” October 14

After sharing his thoughts about Putin’s new atrocities in Ukraine, Kanye West, Roger Waters, Elon Musk, and the poltroonish quitter Ben Sasse, I talk to my friend, the documentary filmmaker Melissa Peltier, about her new film, “The Game is Up: Disillusioned Trump Voters Tell Their Stories.” Plus: the clash inside the country’s richest man.

“CPACing with the Enemy (with Amanda Moore),” September 30

Amanda Moore—who is also a helluva Twitter follow—spent almost a year infiltrating the MAGA movement. Working undercover, she attended numerous events, including the November and December DC rallies and January 6. She was finally caught in September 2021. She tells me her remarkable story. Plus: Les Deplorables (performed by Marsh Hanson).

“Ukraine vs. the Evil Empire (with Victor Rud),” September 16

I credit Victor Rud with teaching me all about the history of Ukraine and Russia some time ago. By the time of the invasion, I knew exactly what was going on and what false narrative Putin was trying to push. In this episode, Rud, the chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for the Ukrainian American Bar Association, discusses common misconceptions about Ukrainian history, Russia’s long-standing aims in the country, America’s “strategic slide,” Putin’s brazen violation of international order, and how credibility of will establishes deterrence. Plus: a new moving company.

Most Total Downloads, 2022

10/ “Putin in Ukraine (with Zarina Zabrisky),” February 4

Before she left for Ukraine, and just before the invasion, my friend, the indefatigable Zarina Zabrisky, came on to discuss Vladimir Putin’s motivations, Russia’s Eurasian plan, and the escalating situation in Ukraine. Plus: a new CD collection.

9/ “Good Coup, Bad Coup (with Amanda Carpenter),” January 28

“The Bulwark” columnist Amanda Carpenter joins me to discuss her (still relevant!) piece on the insurrection, “The Six Main Strands of the Trump Coup Attempt,” the future of the Republican Party, and the fate of Trumpism. Plus: a new, sexy candy by Tucker Carlson.

8/ “The Trauma Vortex (with Claudia Black),” April 1

Trump, the assault on common decency, pandemic, quarantine, insurrection, and now war: we have all suffered collective trauma these last five years. I talk with actor and trauma therapist Claudia Black, one of my favorite people, about the causes of trauma and how to heal from it. Plus: DFG sings.

7/ “Canadian Goose-Steppers (with Mark Bourrie),” February 11

I talk to the Canadian journalist, author, and attorney Mark Bourrie, a very funny guy, about the “Freedom Convoy,” Canadian politics, covid as morality test, and the future of democracy in North America. Plus: Mike Pence sings.

6/ “Strongmen: History Under Attack (with Ruth Ben-Ghiat),” Jan. 14

Fascism is on the rise in the United States. I talk to the brilliant Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of history, expert on authoritarianism, and author of “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,” about Mussolini & Hitler, Putin & Trump, and the dictator’s “tools of rule.” Plus: a song about the new covid remedy.

5/ “Boredom as Camouflage: The Life of Mike Pence (with Tom LoBianco),” February 18

I talk to the journalist Tom LoBianco, author of “Piety & Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House,” who has been covering this schmuck for YEARS, about the inscrutable Indiana politician who uses boredom as camouflage. Plus: an appeal to charity.

4/ “Matt Gaetz & Other Creatures of the Florida Swamp (with Gal Suburban),” January 21

Florida has been notorious for its colorful characters and its corruption since the first real estate developer set foot there in 1565. Greg Olear talks to the Sunshine State’s own Gal Suburban—who now has her own Substack, by the way—about Matt Gaetz, Roger Stone, Ron DeSantis, Joel Greenberg, and the other creatures of the Florida swamp. Plus: how can the GRU help YOU?

3/ “Existential Threat to Democracy (with Craig Unger),” September 9

To kick off Season Four of the PREVAIL podcast, I welcome back the investigative journalist Craig Unger, author of “American Kompromat” and “House of Trump, House of Putin,” to talk about the Ukraine invasion, the FBI, Trump’s money laundering, dark money, Roy Cohn, major media failures, MAGA Republicans, and the ghosts of GOP election f*ckery past. Plus: a new superhero emerges.

2/ “The Absurdity of It All (Season Two Finale, with Noel Casler),” February 25

In the 50th episode of the PREVAIL podcast, I talk to the great Noel Casler—who also launched a Substack this year—about the absurdity of it all. Plus: a new national anthem for a new nation.

1/ “Putin’s War (with Zarina Zabrisky and Moscow Never Sleeps),” March 18

Season Three of the PREVAIL podcast began with a special double episode. First, I spoke to my friend Zarina Zabrisky, who has been covering Putin for years and the invasion of Ukraine since it started, about the situation on the ground, Putin’s madness, and the history of the two countries. Then, I bring on my friend and PREVAIL contributor Moscow Never Sleeps to discuss what the war means for Russia and the Russian people. Plus: a new support group.

---

Once again, thanks so much for listening! I appreciate all the support. Happy New Year!

---

Note: there will be a new episode of The Five 8 tonight, live at 8pm Eastern, 5pm Pacific. Join us here: