The Audacity of Trivia

This week: a spotlight on humanity! Jon looks at changing US-Canadian relations and its effect on our economy and the new federal office of seafood, while Chris takes on the Hatch Act, Disney history, and the death of Warren G. Harding. All this and so much more!  

A very special 250th birthday celebration! Jon and Chris review selected songs from the history of recorded music.    "America the Beautiful" as recorded by Ray Charles, 1972; lyrics by Katherine Lee Bates, 1893 O beautiful for pilgrim feet, Whose stern, impassioned stress A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness! America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law! O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife, Who more than self their country loved And mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine, Till all success be nobleness, And every gain divine! O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed His grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!   "The Power and the Glory" by Phil Ochs, 1964 Come on and take a walk with me through this green and growing land Walk through the meadows and the mountains and the sand Walk through the valleys and the rivers and the plains Walk through the sun and walk through the rain Here is a land full of power and glory Beauty that words cannot recall Oh, her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom Glory shall rest on us all From Colorado, Kansas, and the Carolinas too Virginia and Alaska, from the old to the new Texas and Ohio and the California shore Tell me, who could ask for more? Yet she's only as rich as the poorest of the poor Only as free as a padlocked prison door Only as strong as our love for this land Only as tall as we stand Here is a land full of power and glory Beauty that words cannot recall Oh, her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom Glory shall rest on us all, on us all   "The Times They Are A Changin'" by Bob Dylan, 1963 Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You'll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth savin'; Then you better start swimmin'; Or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'; Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide The chance won't come again And don't speak too soon For the wheel's still in spin And there's no tellin' who that it's namin'; For the loser now Will be later to win For the times they are a-changin'; Come senators, congressmen Please heed the call Don't stand in the doorway Don't block up the hall For he that gets hurt Will be he who has stalled The battle outside ragin'; Will soon shake your windows And rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin'; Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don't criticize What you can't understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your old road is rapidly agin'; Please get out of the new one If you can't lend your hand For the times they are a-changin'; The line it is drawn The curse it is cast The slow one now Will later be fast As the present now Will later be past The order is rapidly fadin'; And the first one now Will later be last For the times they are a-changin'   "War Isn't Murder" by Jesse Welles, 2024 War isn't murder Good men don't die Children don't starve And all women survive War isn't murder That's what they say When you're fighting the devil Murder's okay War isn't murder They're called casualties There ain't a veteran With a good night's sleep Let's talk about dead people I mean a dead people The dead don't feel honored They don't feel that brave They don't feel avenged They're lucky if they got graves Call your dead mother Ask her when she died It's a deathly silence on the other line The dead don't talk But their children don't forget So in 20 short years You could live to regret that War isn't murder There's money at stake Hell, even Kushner agrees It's good real estate War isn't murder Ask Netanyahu He's got a psalm for that And a bomb for you War isn't murder It's an old-desert faith It's a nation-state-sanctioned righteous hate Let's talk about dead people I mean a dead people War isn't murder It's the vengeance of God If you can't see the bodies They don't bloat when they rot And the flies don't swarm And the children don't cry If war isn't murder Good men don't die So in a short 20 years When you vacation the Strip Don't think about the dead And have a nice trip War isn't murder We should all give thanks I saw it all in a movie Give it up for Tom Hanks War isn't murder They don't ship out the poor And the bullets they fire Aren't part of the cure War isn't murder Land is a right But the banks called dibs It's something you can't fight Let's talk about dead people I mean a dead people The dead don't feel honor They don't feel that brave They don't feel avenged They're lucky if they got graves War isn't murder Ain't a river of blood Stretching all through time And raining down in a flood It's a dark sacrifice Made on your behalf So get down on your knees And thank the sweet lord that War isn't murder   "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime," by E.Y. Harburg, 1932 They used to tell me I was building a dream And so I followed the mob When there was earth to plow or guns to bear I was always there, right on the job They used to tell me I was building a dream With peace and glory ahead Why should I be standing in line Just waiting for bread? Once I built a railroad, I made it run Made it race against time Once I built a railroad, now it's done Brother, can you spare a dime? Once I built a tower up to the sun Brick and rivet and lime Once I built a tower, now it's done Brother, can you spare a dime? Once in khaki suits, gee, we looked swell Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum Half a million boots went slogging through Hell And I was the kid with the drum Say, don't you remember? They called me Al; It was Al all the time Why don't you remember? I'm your pal Say buddy, can you spare a dime? Once in khaki suits, ah, gee, we looked swell Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum Half a million boots went slogging through Hell And I was the kid with the drum Oh, say, don't you remember? They called me Al; It was Al all the time Say, don't you remember? I'm your pal Buddy, can you spare a dime?   "Strange Fruit" by Abel Meeropol [Lewis Allan], 1939 Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees Pastoral scene of the gallant south The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burning flesh Here's a fruit for the crows to pluck For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop Here's a strange and bitter crop   "Mr President Have Pity on the Working Man" by Randy Newman, 1974 We've taken all you've given It's gettin' hard to make a livin' Mr. President, have pity on the working man We ain't asking you to love us You may place yourself high above us Mr. President, have pity on the working man I know it may sound funny But people ev'ry where are runnin' out of money We just can't make it by ourself It is cold and the wind is blowing We need something to keep us gong Mr. President, have pity on the working man Maybe you're cheatin' Maybe you're lyin' Maybe you have lost your mind Maybe you only think about yourself Too late to run, too late to cry now The time has come for us to say good-bye now Mr. President, have pity on the working man Mr. President, have pity on the working man   "American Tune" by Paul Simon, 1973  Many's the time I've been mistaken And many times confused Yes, and I've often felt forsaken And certainly misused Oh, but I'm alright, I'm alright I'm just weary to my bones Still, you don't expect to be bright and bon vivant So far away from home, so far away from home And I don't know a soul who's not been battered I don't have a friend who feels at ease I don't know a dream that's not been shattered Or driven to its knees But it's alright, it's alright For we lived so well so long Still, when I think of the Road we're traveling on I wonder what's gone wrong I can't help it, I wonder what has gone wrong And I dreamed I was dying I dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly And looking back down at me Smiled reassuringly And I dreamed I was flying And high up above my eyes could clearly see The Statue of Liberty Sailing away to sea And I dreamed I was flying We come on the ship they call The Mayflower We come on the ship that sailed the moon We come in the age's most uncertain hours And sing an American tune Oh, and it's alright, it's alright, it's alright You can't be forever blessed Still, tomorrow's going to be another working day And I'm trying to get some rest That's all I'm trying to get some rest   "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosemond Johnson, 1905 Lift every voice and sing Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the listening skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us, Facing the rising sun of our new day begun Let us march on till victory is won. Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chastening rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed? We have come over a way that with tears has been watered, We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, Out from the gloomy past, Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast. God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way; Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand. True to our God, True to our native land.   "This Train," as recorded by Sister Rosetta Tharpe This train is a clean train, you know this train This train is a clean train, I said this train This train is a clean train, everybody ride it in Jesus' name Because this train is a clean train, Lord, this train This train has left the station, you know this train This train has left the station, I said this train This train has left the station, this train takes on every nation Because this train is a clean train, you know this train It's the prettiest train I ever have seen, Lord, this train It's the prettiest train I ever have seen, oh, this train It's the prettiest train I ever have seen Now, if you wanna ride it, you must get redeemed Because this train is a clean train, Lord, this train This train is bound for glory, woo, this train This train is bound for glory, I said this train This train is bound for glory, everybody ridin' her must be holy Because this train is a clean train, you know this train You know this train don't pull no jokers, uh-uh, this train This train don't pull no jokers, no, this train I said this train don't pull no jokers No tobacco chewers and no cigar smokers Because this train is a clean train, you know this train This train don't pull no wankers, uh-uh, this train This train don't pull no wankers, oh, this train This train don't pull no wankers, no crap shooter, no whiskey drinker Because this train is a clean train, this train  

It's a strange one this week! Chris explicitly revels in the past (except for the new They Might Be Giants album) while Jon looks at collective nouns and subject/verb agreement in World Cup coverage and the opening of the Obama Center in Chicago. PLUS Elvis-- immigration-- Italo Balbo-- monuments-- Marty Moose-- and so much more! 

Jon tries getting campy while Chris brings up song lyrics inside every round-- PLUS American beef prices-- favorability-- Eddy Arnold-- Elvis Presley-- AI-- the Mascot Hall of Fame-- little known American museums-- Stevie Wonder-- Chad Mitchell Trio-- The Surfaris-- Ike Willis and Frank Zappa-- metacognition-- and so much more!  

On this episode Jon dissects the impact of the Supreme Court's recent decision about redistricting, while Chris looks at the Astor Place Riot, the Apocalypse Early Warning System, and income inequality. Plus: gas prices-- AOC-- sports and singing as alternatives to AI-- Marco Rubio and The Pope-- Blue Dot Fever-- and much more! "Down with the codfish aristocracy!" #AmericasPodcast #AudacityofTrivia 

Another wild episode! Chris brings up heresy, Garbo, Pat Boone, and an American folksinger whose time has finally come, while Jon looks at the World Baseball Classic, the World Cup, trick shots at the Vatican, Barnburners, Whigs, and so much more. Is it punditry? Is it trivia? Are they even keeping score any more? Tune in and find out for yourself! 

Jon and Chris let history be their guide this week as they look at panic, speculation, overvaluation, inconsequential American Presidents, and much more! PLUS Olympics-- Elvis-- Frank Sinatra-- precious metals!  Can one "traverse" the past? Tune in and find out! 

On this week's episode Jon reviews Supreme Court Justices' opinions on tariffs (and declares "taxation without representation!") while Chris thinks about the panopticon, the surviellance state, and how being watched changes one's behavior. PLUS Olympics-- Elvis-- the Beatles-- the Clintons-- the Royal Family-- Earth, Wind, and Fire-- the Missouri Compromise-- and so much more! #AmericasBestPodcast 

Another wild episode! Jon looks at how FIFA and the World Cup may play a role in international politics going foward, while Chris gets disillusioned by global economic and cultural hegemony and besides that gets his facts wrong. PLUS lucky slobs from Ohio-- Fed chairpersons-- the pornography of the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie"-- the Fool's Gold Sandwich-- and so much more!    

This week Jon and Chris discuss the week's news as well as some Perpetual Capitalist Entertainment Products, from Dick Clark to KISS to Melania. PLUS: the Boston Tea Party-- the Freemasons-- Common Sense-- and so much more! 

Jon and Chris embark on an elaborate thought experiment: where would the characters in the film It's a Wonderful Life be today, if they were real people? From Mr. Gower the druggist to ol' Mossback George himself, Jon and Chris dive deep into what might have been... or is? This special episode is being simulcast on The Superhero Sandbox, Dr. Smith's program heard on WFVR LP 96.5FM South Royalton-- Royalton Community Radio. 

Jon goes north of the border while Chris can't stop thinking about celebritocracy. Who wins? Who loses? What's the score? Learn more on this episode of America's (Tariff Free!) Podcast! 

Jon talks football, pays tribute to Jimmy Carter, and reviews a strange YouGov poll about American knowledge while Chris thinks about radio distress signals, the (antique?) idea of cultural oversaturation, and watching more than one television at once-- all this and more on this episode of #AmericasPodcast 

Another extensive episode of America's Podcast! Join Jon and Chris for a wild and risque ride as they look at Arnold Palmer-- Usha Vance-- America's Best Restroom-- the world's largest organ-- Elvis-- "Daddio"-- and so much more-- plus a special survey of potential campaign stops in Delaware County, Pennsylvania! #Delco #BoothsCorner #LongwoodGardens #Wawa #AudacityofTrivia 

Jon looks at crocodiles, alligators, and the latest college rankings from US News and World Report while Chris pays birthday tribute to Groucho Marx. Plus football-- politics-- Elvis-- the Grateful Dead-- Pink Floyd-- popular American dogs-- The Boss-- The Fireman-- and so much more! #AmericasPodcast  

Chris looks at YouTube suspensions and meritous celebrities while Jon assesses the global edible insect market and the redemtive value of international sport leagues-- plus: the Beverly Hillbillies-- Mr. Ed-- Linus Tech Tips-- Tony Bennett-- Elvis-- Nixon-- microstates-- superworms-- and so much more! #AmericasPodcast 

Jon takes on stadium naming rights, sports, banned books, and hallowed ground while Chris looks at Phish setlists, famous concerts, and Tony Bennett as rock and roll. Plus-- where are the WORST places to take a campaign photo? All this and more on this episode of #AmericasPodcast

On this episode Jon gets stuck in 1974 while Chris looks at inventive ways to cheer up now that the oarfish have appeared. Also Elvis-- Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles, and John Wayne as the Waco Kid-- Hank Williams at the Grand Ol' Opry-- Jerry Lewis-- Pat Buchanan-- Woodstock-- 2,000 cherry trees-- and so much more! #AmericasPodcast   

On this episode: the patron saint of television-- the avuncularity of Tim Walz-- Jimmy Dean-- Beverly Hills' Daisy Club-- the Beatles-- Elvis-- Bill Haley-- the Jackson 5-- the Mall of America-- Olympics wrap up-- and so much more! #AmericasPodcast 

Jon looks at JD Vance, climate facts and change, and a short history of Presidential facial hair while Chris reflects on the legacy of Barbenheimer, Sundance 2027, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis, and the OG HeWhoShallNotBeNamed! All this and more on this long-awaited episode of #AmericasPodcast 

Talking up the uptalk this week on America's Podcast! #OttotheOrange #FORTRAN #Bono #JacksonDeVille #WWW #SenateRetirements #comebacks #Elvis #Grant #Lincoln #Truman #Dewey #RandPaul #Oscars #MissAmerica #NXXT #popularvote #AudacityofTrivia 

Most end-of-year programs look back at the events of the past year. Ours-- "2024: A Retrospective"-- is a little different.  What, next New Year's Eve, will be talking about and turning into complex trivia questions? Tune in to hear this very special episode for yourself! #frivolitas #AmericasPodcast #HappyNewYear2023

Jon and Chris are back and not missing a beat. Jon asks questions about eggs, communication, Flex Protect XVIII, and what it takes to earn Free Subs for Life, while Chris focuses on The Monkees, The Coasters, and Benchmarks for Excellence in Thinking. PLUS: what's the future got in store for us all? Tune in and find out! #AmericasPodcast 

Another trip down Main Street USA-- and its suburbs and exurbs-- with your hosts Jon Ross and Chris Smith. On this episode: game show hosts, great American comebacks, politics, and Elvis movies-- plus a special preview of this coming week's geomagnetic storm. All this and so much more on #AmericasPodcast

Jon and Chris are back after weeks of adventure, more equipped than ever. Chris looks at AI and hypothetical confrontations while Jon covers the Red Channels Report, the crickets of Elko, and the wines of Liechtenstein, and so much more. Does anyone win? #wedecide #youreport #trivia #comedy #AmericasPodcast 

Jon looks at happiness-- from counting smiles on Instagram to international airline ratings-- while Chris thinks about Kid Rock, the Klon pedal, and newly released devices to slow down time-- PLUS Presidential history-- Elvis--existentialism--education--equity! 

On this episode it's March Madness in more ways than one! Chris goes deep on Elvis while Jon takes on the Oscars, the Razzies, and political rhetoric-- PLUS a new game of Acronymic Economics! #AmericasPodcast 

Lots of laughs on this episode as Jon and Chris review pop music, Bond movies, DEISJ, political fatigue, Elvis, and so much more! #AmericasPodcast 

It's a massive Valentine's Day episode! Sports--Superfund sites--the State of the Union--optimism-- marmets--Elvis--Beatles-- Grammys--genres--Presidential yachts--PLUS: what are the AI bots saying about the future of this podcast? #audacityoftrivia