https://simplecast.com This is a show about contemporary culture. First Things editors Virginia Aabram and Germán S. Díaz del Castillo discuss modern, online trends. Are they good, bad, or a secret third thing? en Wed, 6 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 Wed, 6 May 2026 08:00:15 +0000 https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/77949c1c-cc9d-4294-8010-6b6f86989e6d/e9547484-651f-4917-9b6e-0846ccfdb9b6/3000x3000/stt-cover-20image-square-final.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com episodic This is a show about contemporary culture. First Things editors Virginia Aabram and Germán S. Díaz del Castillo discuss modern, online trends. Are they good, bad, or a secret third thing? Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram false https://feeds.simplecast.com/0Buo8h8O First Things gsaucedo@firstthings.com f9e1d417-b7e3-413c-b595-7d9db3dcfd9c Further reading:

• All of Dave Greene's essays: "Letters from Fiddler's Greene."
• Dave's YouTube channel.

]]> Wed, 6 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 gsaucedo@firstthings.com (Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, Dave Greene) https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com/episodes/conservative-culture-isnt-real-ft-dave-greene-s454Anzd Further reading:

• All of Dave Greene's essays: "Letters from Fiddler's Greene."
• Dave's YouTube channel.

]]> Conservative Culture Isn’t Real (ft. Dave Greene) Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, Dave Greene 01:38:31 In this episode, essayist and YouTuber Dave Greene joins Virginia and Germán to discuss "conservative art." Can it be made at all? They also discuss the death of discourse, BreadTube, Warhammer 40K, horror, and why most movies are bad now, Dune, and Distributism. In this episode, essayist and YouTuber Dave Greene joins Virginia and Germán to discuss "conservative art." Can it be made at all? They also discuss the death of discourse, BreadTube, Warhammer 40K, horror, and why most movies are bad now, Dune, and Distributism. false full 4 960eb922-9c2f-4478-b8e8-936f858e4be4 Further reading:

• "Timothée Chalamet & Matthew McConaughey" by Variety & CNN Town Hall.
• "The Case Against Aesthetic Castration" by Adam Lehrer (Compact).
• "Marty Supreme mirrors Timothée Chalamet’s desire" by Germán Saucedo (The Spectator)
• "It’s Over for Anthony Bourdain’s Fanboys" by Suzy Weiss (The Free Press)

]]> Wed, 1 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 gsaucedo@firstthings.com (Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, Suzy Weiss) https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com/episodes/timothee-chalamet-is-right-about-art-ft-suzy-weiss-mNdDEdCo Further reading:

• "Timothée Chalamet & Matthew McConaughey" by Variety & CNN Town Hall.
• "The Case Against Aesthetic Castration" by Adam Lehrer (Compact).
• "Marty Supreme mirrors Timothée Chalamet’s desire" by Germán Saucedo (The Spectator)
• "It’s Over for Anthony Bourdain’s Fanboys" by Suzy Weiss (The Free Press)

]]> Timothée Chalamet Is Right About Art (ft. Suzy Weiss) Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, Suzy Weiss 01:22:09 In this episode, co-founder and reporter for The Free Press, Suzy Weiss, joins Virginia and Germán to discuss the most recent battle between artistic merit and popularity, brought about by Hollywood's favorite new superstar: Timothée Chalamet. Is he right about opera, ballet, and film? What does taste look like in the twenty-first century? Does Alysa Liu make real art? How do we justify pop-culture commentary? Do Anthony Bourdain haters have a point? In this episode, co-founder and reporter for The Free Press, Suzy Weiss, joins Virginia and Germán to discuss the most recent battle between artistic merit and popularity, brought about by Hollywood's favorite new superstar: Timothée Chalamet. Is he right about opera, ballet, and film? What does taste look like in the twenty-first century? Does Alysa Liu make real art? How do we justify pop-culture commentary? Do Anthony Bourdain haters have a point? false full 3 529f7959-e472-41b4-a4df-99a3f13c5f02 Further reading:

• "Frontier Cities" by Nick Allen (IM-1776).
• "New York’s Hottest Club Is the Catholic Church" by Julia Yost (New York Times).
• Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right by Laura K. Field.
• "The Party Politics of Sovereign House" by Emma Green (New Yorker)
• "Reconstructing the Mystical Feminine from the Ashes of the Feminine Mystique" (The Portal)

]]> Thu, 26 Feb 2026 16:53:32 +0000 gsaucedo@firstthings.com (Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, Nick Allen) https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com/episodes/dimes-square-an-oral-history-ft-nick-allen-Jq9YMpDe Further reading:

• "Frontier Cities" by Nick Allen (IM-1776).
• "New York’s Hottest Club Is the Catholic Church" by Julia Yost (New York Times).
• Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right by Laura K. Field.
• "The Party Politics of Sovereign House" by Emma Green (New Yorker)
• "Reconstructing the Mystical Feminine from the Ashes of the Feminine Mystique" (The Portal)

]]> Dimes Square: An Oral History (ft. Nick Allen) Germán S. Díaz del Castillo, Virginia Aabram, Nick Allen 01:33:39 In this first episode, Sovereign House and Reign founder Nick Allen joins Virginia and Germán to discuss Dimes Square, the New York City downtown cultural scene. What is its history? Who are the major players? What was Sovereign House? Why is everyone there becoming Catholic? What is its impact and its future? In this first episode, Sovereign House and Reign founder Nick Allen joins Virginia and Germán to discuss Dimes Square, the New York City downtown cultural scene. What is its history? Who are the major players? What was Sovereign House? Why is everyone there becoming Catholic? What is its impact and its future? false full 2 4afd50b6-bed9-4db5-8dd7-6f1fbbd51af3 Further reading:

• "The Fanfic Temptation" by Veronica Clarke.
• "The Goon Squad" by Daniel Kolitz.
• The Absolute Degeneracy of Modern Writing by The Second Story.

]]> Wed, 28 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000 gsaucedo@firstthings.com (Veronica Clarke, Virginia Aabram, Germán S. Díaz del Castillo) https://secret-third-thing.simplecast.com/episodes/the-fanfiction-reckoning-ft-veronica-clarke-ElukVDXC Further reading:

• "The Fanfic Temptation" by Veronica Clarke.
• "The Goon Squad" by Daniel Kolitz.
• The Absolute Degeneracy of Modern Writing by The Second Story.

]]> The Fanfiction Reckoning (ft. Veronica Clarke) Veronica Clarke, Virginia Aabram, Germán S. Díaz del Castillo 01:23:44 In this episode, First Things deputy editor Veronica Clarke joins Virginia and Germán to discuss fanfiction, its history, its impact, its infiltration of the publishing industry, whether it should be classified as pornography, and what its popularity says about Gen Z. In this episode, First Things deputy editor Veronica Clarke joins Virginia and Germán to discuss fanfiction, its history, its impact, its infiltration of the publishing industry, whether it should be classified as pornography, and what its popularity says about Gen Z. false full 1