Journalist Thomas Frank on His Politics, His Midwestern Upbringing and Rock Music

Journalist Thomas Frank joins Chris Shiflett, guitarist for rock bands including the Foo Fighters, in this week’s episode of Shiflett’s podcast, “Walking the Floor.”

The two discuss Frank’s “typical” apolitical Midwestern upbringing in the suburbs of Kansas City, which Frank says reinforced ideals of American exceptionalism.

“At some point, it started to dawn on me how full of shit this all was,” Frank says. “You can be in favor of ‘God and country,’ but ‘God and country’ really don’t give a damn about you.”

Frank talks about life in Washington, D.C., where he now lives, and notes how the city “doesn’t fit the ideological picture” of America. The two also discuss subjects from rock music to broad political shifts and the current state of American inequality.

Listen to the entire interview below:

Want more interviews like this? Check out Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer’s recent conversation with Thomas Frank here, and Scheer’s podcast interview with Frank from earlier this year here.

—Posted by Emma Niles