A BURN THE PLAYBOOK PRODUCTION
IT MATTERS
With Michael Starr Hopkins
Who profits from keeping us angry? What do we lose chasing success? Michael Starr Hopkins talks politics, culture, and the lives behind the arguments.
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THE LATEST CONVERSATION · RECORDED OCTOBER 6, 2026
Bigger house. Fewer friends.
They chased the money and the bigger house. Then their friends ended up miles apart. Lee Gottsch and Michael ask what success is worth without people nearby to share it.
Listen to Lee Gottsch · 49:55Start with these conversations
From the archive. The dates below are the original episode dates, not new interviews.
01 / JOE WALSH
The business of making you angry
Joe Walsh describes how anger and fear paid off in radio, and what walking away cost him. Recorded January 2024.
02 / ROY WOOD JR.
Why Birmingham Gave Roy Wood Jr. Hope
Roy Wood Jr. talks about his journalist father and the Black people he grew up watching fight for change. Hear how that experience shaped his politics and comedy. From July 2024.
03 / MALLORY McMORROW
Who gets to write your state's abortion laws?
Mallory McMorrow explains Michigan's fight over abortion rights, from court action to keep abortion legal to organizing for a state legislative majority and a ballot initiative. From October 2024.