Noble American Lives: Biographies of America's Religious Thinkers and Believers

William H. Benson introduces Noble American Lives podcast episode 161 and continues his biography of H.L. Mencken from The Parallel Lives of the Noble American Religious Thinkers and Believers: H.L. Mencken versus Jim Bakker. The script recounts Mencken's 1912 Europe trip during the Titanic disaster, a failed prank effort to list him for vice president, and his contempt for the 1912 Democratic convention and William Jennings Bryan, alongside broader critiques of American society. It follows Mencken's intense, ultimately doomed romance with Marion Bloom, shaped by class tensions and later her conversion to Christian Science, which he attacked. During World War I he became openly pro-German, lost his Sun column, co-edited The Smart Set promoting new writers, reported from Berlin and the Eastern Front, then returned amid worsening U.S.-German relations. The period also saw major books and controversy over his anti-Puritan essay and accusations by Stuart Pratt Sherman.
00:00 Show Intro and Series
00:54 Books and Newsletter
01:21 Recap of Prior Volumes
03:26 Episode Focus Mencken
03:40 Copyright Notice
04:20 Europe Trip and Titanic
06:07 Convention and Bryan
08:09 Meeting Marion Bloom
11:53 Turbulent Romance Years
13:05 War and Pro Germany
16:33 Smart Set Co Editor
18:33 Billy Sunday Spectacle
19:38 Berlin Correspondent 1917
21:54 Eastern Front Trenches
23:10 Escape via Switzerland Cuba
25:13 Marion Nurse and Drift
26:40 Christian Science Clash
29:56 Breakup and Aftermath
32:19 Books and Puritanism
34:01 Sherman Feud Conclusion

Episode 160 of the Noble American Lives podcast (Sept. 8, 2026), hosted by William H. Benson, continues his sixth book, H.L. Mencken versus Jim Bakker, with Mencken's biography. The script recounts Mencken's leadership during the 1904 Baltimore fire and his decision to stay in Baltimore despite a New York offer, then his growing career: managing editor and editor-in-chief at the Baltimore Herald, publication of his Shaw study, the Herald's collapse, and his long tenure at the Baltimore Sun, where he refined a bold editorial voice. It covers his Nietzsche book (1908) and its reception, his work for The Smart Set, his praise for Twain, Conrad, and Dreiser, multiple side projects, and his friendship with George Jean Nathan. Mencken's Evening Sun column "The Free Lance" provoked heavy backlash while promoting public health, Black housing and fair treatment, women's rights, sanitation, and education.
00:00 Podcast Series Intro
00:55 Books and Subscription Notes
01:24 Recap of Earlier Volumes
03:29 Mencken Biography Begins
04:29 Baltimore Fire Aftermath
07:19 Conventions and Career Rise
08:15 Shaw Book and Herald Collapse
10:32 Baltimore Sun New Voice
11:43 Nietzsche Book Breakthrough
16:35 Theater Critic to Bookman
19:19 Smart Set Literary Fame
21:25 Twain Conrad Dreiser
23:57 Side Projects and Work Ethic
26:36 Nathan and Evening Sun
30:24 The Free Lance Firestorm
33:28 Reforms and Social Causes
35:23 Closing Causes Summary

Host William H. Benson introduces Noble American Lives podcast episode 159 (Sept. 1, 2026), beginning his sixth book, H.L. Mencken versus Jim Bakker, and starting the biography of H.L. Mencken after recapping prior paired biographies in his series and giving purchase/subscription notes. The script traces Mencken's German-American family in Baltimore, his birth in 1880, childhood on Holland Street, early exposure to Black alley evangelists, and intense reading sparked by Huckleberry Finn. He excelled at the Baltimore Polytechnic despite hating it, became an agnostic influenced by Huxley, disliked sports, and loved piano. Forced into the family cigar business, he sought journalism; after his father's death in 1899 he joined The Baltimore Herald, rose quickly, endured illness, traveled to Jamaica, became drama critic and later city editor, published Ventures into Verse, formed the Saturday Night Club, and helped cover the 1904 Great Baltimore Fire as it destroyed downtown and the papers' buildings.
00:00 Show Intro and Series Overview
03:28 Launching Mencken Biography
04:21 Mencken Family Roots in Baltimore
07:12 Holland Street Childhood and Alley Life
10:49 Books School and Early Skepticism
18:07 Trapped in the Cigar Business
20:27 Father's Death and New Freedom
22:24 First Break at The Baltimore Herald
25:21 Crime Beat Hard Living and Jamaica
28:23 Critic Poet and Saturday Night Club
32:40 City Editor Ambition and Restlessness
33:45 The Great Baltimore Fire Finale

Host William H. Benson introduces Noble American Lives Podcast episode 158 and his book series The Parallel Lives of the Noble American Religious Thinkers and Believers, then continues and completes his biography of Billy Graham from Mark Twain versus Billy Graham. The script recounts BGEA's Amsterdam evangelism conferences (1983 and 1986), their global, largely Third World participation, the Amsterdam Affirmations, workshops, a Day of Witness, and Billy's reluctance to dominate. It details Graham's pastoral relationships with presidents from Eisenhower through George W. Bush, highlighting close ties to Johnson and a complex, ultimately shattering relationship with Nixon, including Vietnam-era criticism, Watergate's revelations, and later release of tapes showing anti-Jewish remarks. It covers BGEA succession to Franklin Graham, Graham's honors, books and royalty trust, major health issues for Billy and Ruth, Ruth's 2007 death, and assessments of Billy's character.
00:00 Show Intro and Episode Setup
00:56 Series Overview and Books
03:27 Copyright and Transition
04:09 Amsterdam Evangelism Conferences
09:19 Presidents and Pastoral Access
09:43 Eisenhower and Kennedy Encounters
11:23 LBJ Friendship and Funeral
14:23 Nixon Alliance Before Watergate
18:52 Vietnam Protests and Billy Graham Day
23:28 Watergate Fallout and Regret
31:35 BGEA Succession and Later Crusades
32:58 Honors Awards and Publications
36:32 Health Struggles and Aging
37:48 Ruth Graham Injuries and Passing
40:40 Legacy and Character Reflections