{"podcast":{"title":"Bang-Bang Podcast","slug":"bang-bang-podcast-7028254","podcast_index_feed_id":7028254,"rss_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/2865860/s/148013.rss","website_url":"https://www.bangbangpod.com/s/bang-bang-podcast","image_url":"https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/2865860/s/148013/e27cbae2755ad3789de1ec54aacf98ba.jpg","author":"Van and Lyle are Bang-Bang","episode_count":71,"summary":"A show about war movies, with an anti-imperialist twist. Hosted by Van Jackson and Lyle Jeremy Rubin--military veterans, war critics, and wannabe film critics.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/bang-bang-podcast-7028254"},"episode":{"title":"From The Vault: In the Loop (2009) w/ Spencer Ackerman","slug":"from-the-vault-in-the-loop-2009-w-spencer-ackerman","published_at":"2026-05-20T03:39:42+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/bang-bang-podcast-7028254/from-the-vault-in-the-loop-2009-w-spencer-ackerman","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/bang-bang-podcast-7028254","url":"https://www.bangbangpod.com/p/from-the-vault-in-the-loop-2009-w","audio_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/198508781/cd9c76f311c2969481eb586aedd8f420.mp3","summary":"From the vault! Re-releasing one of our earliest and most popular episodes, with prize-winning journalist and best-selling author Spencer Ackerman. Scottish filmmaker Armando Iannucci’s In the Loop , a satire about the lead-up to the Iraq War, never achieved the household success of Veep (Iannucci’s later HBO series). Yet, D.C. staffers have come to see it as a cult classic, and there is much to be gleaned from the black comedy beyond the predictable, Beltway absurdities. Van and Lyle have the acclaimed journalist Spencer Ackerman on the show to discuss his own role in the film’s creation, as all three exchange biting laughs and commentary along the way. Especially about the rotting tooth that is Washington. Bonus: In addition to dissecting the film, the first 30 minutes of this episode are an oral history of Spencer Ackerman’s experience with the making of In The Loop . Further Reading “ How to succeed in Hollywood without really trying ” (2009), by Spencer Ackerman “ That’s Me and Him From The Sopranos ” (2009), by Armando Iannucci Reign of Terror (2022), by Spencer Ackerman Iron Man Vol. 1 (2025), by Spencer Ackerman and Julius Ohta Forever Wars Newsletter , by Spencer Ackerman Perils of Dominance , by Gareth Porter In The Loop Trailer This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.bangbangpod.com/subscribe","meta_description":"From the vault! Re-releasing one of our earliest and most popular episodes, with prize-winning journalist and best-selling author Spencer Ackerman. Scotti…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4461,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/bang-bang-podcast-7028254/episodes/from-the-vault-in-the-loop-2009-w-spencer-ackerman/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/bang-bang-podcast-7028254/from-the-vault-in-the-loop-2009-w-spencer-ackerman.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}