Podcasts about Esquire

This week on Lit Up, Angela brings on Esquire editor Adrienne Westenfeld to talk about the books you should read this Fall. Adrienne and Angie also talk about TV, Hobbits, the changing ways men are writing about masculinity, and a lot more. You can read Adrienne's writing in Esquire and on esquire.com Next week: Brendan Borrell and The First Shots, his book about the COVID vaccine race.

Nick Youssef (Comedy Central/Writer for Esquire) talks about how being a TOOL fan who got to hang out with TOOL, immigrating from Beruit to the United States, and working his way up at the Comedy Store. Follow Nick: https://twitter.com/NickYoussef Read Nick: https://www.esquire.com/author/11614/nick-youssef/ Join the patreon: https://www.patreon.com/entrylevelwithbrookswheelan Follow Summer on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/summer_scout/?hl=en See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Craig Unger, the journalist and author of “American Kompromat: How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump, and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery” and “House of Trump, House of Putin,”joins Greg Olear for a wide-ranging discussion on the Vietnam War, Reagan's October Surprise, the failures of the New York Times, Trump's cultivation by the KGB, Semion Mogilevich, and Craig's incredible eighth grade year. Plus: a law firm provides a specific service. Follow Craig on Twitter: https://twitter.com/craigunger Buy Craig's books: https://www.amazon.com/Craig-Unger/e/B001H6EMQO Craig's Esquire article: https://classic.esquire.com/article/1991/10/1/october-surprise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time to return to The Dreaming! This week, we're discussing the third and fourth volumes of Neil Gaiman's celebrated series. Come for the one-off stories of Dream Country, and give the devil his due when we cheer Lucifer's epic trolling of Dream in Season of the Mists.  ----more---- Episode 17 Transcript Jessika: [00:00:00] I just, I like have had five sets of teeth in my life. They just keep growing bigger and bigger each set I got,   Hello, and welcome to Ten Cent Takes, the podcasts where we morph from delight to delirium one issue at a time. My name is Jessica Frazier and I'm joined by my cohost, the blasphemous baker, Mike Thompson.  Mike: I am full of carbs and caffeine. How are you doing? Jessika: Oh, I am somewhat of both as well. Could use a little more sleep, but I have a day off tomorrow, so I will be doing that,  Mike: I'm jealous.  Jessika: Dude. I work nine hours a day. Don't be too jealous. It's those nine hours that get me that day off.  Mike: Oh man. I've been pulling [00:01:00] like 10 to 12 hour days for a couple of months and I'm just,  Jessika: Oh shit. Nevermind. Goodness. Well, the purpose of this podcast is to study comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to look at their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they're woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. If you'd like to support us, be sure to download rate and review on Apple podcasts or wherever you live.  Mike: Yeah, that really helps with discoverability. We know that we are not a large podcast, but the support that we've gotten from everybody has meant a lot to us. And we're hoping that we can continue to reach more people. If you like, what you're hearing, do us a favor and invite your friends to like our pages, every little bit helps.  Jessika: Yeah, well, today we're continuing on. with the second episode of our book. As we discuss volumes three and four of the Sandman series. But before we jump into [00:02:00] that, Mike, what is one cool thing that you've read or watched lately?  Mike: Something actually that you mentioned on the last book club episode that we did was that there is a Sandman Audible book right now. As much as I don't like giving Amazon my money, if I don't have to, I've had an Audible membership for like a decade. And that means I have access to their Audible originals, which is what this audio book is. And then one of my friends, hi, Darren, also recommended that I listen to the audio book after I told them that we were doing a Sandman book. So I finally downloaded the audio book and started listening while I walked the dogs. And it's legit incredible, like all-star cast. It feels like an audio play complete with like all these incredible production values. Neil Gaiman is serving as the narrator and then they have all of these incredible actors voicing characters and it actually, you know, Neil [00:03:00] Gaiman rewrote it. And so it feels like what he wanted the Sandman, the first volume Preludes and Nocturnes to be, with the hindsight of 30 plus years. Jessika: Nice.  Mike: Yeah, it's great.  Jessika: And he's such a good orator.  Mike: he is he's done a couple of his other audio books that I've listened to over the years. He did The Graveyard Book, which was The only way I can describe it as a Victorian Gothic version of the Jungle Book. And then he also did Coraline. I think he did Coraline. I'm pretty sure he did, but every time that I've listened to him, narrate stuff, it's always been just fantastic,  But, yeah. Jessika: Great.  Mike: How about you? Jessika: Well, I grabbed another $1 image teaser comic. , this time it was Kill or Be Killed by Ed Brubaker. Sean Phillips and Elizabeth Breittwiser. It was okay.  It didn't grow. It followed the first person account of how a man was driven to be an assassin. He basically attempted to die by suicide by jumping off a roof, ended up not dying, but [00:04:00] being visited by what appears to be a demon who tells him , that he now owes him for the life. He tried to waste or something, a life for a life, kind of a such and the rubric for killing being , someone basically like bad and it's not very well defined. So he goes from this guy who can't fathom killing someone to being ready to kill. So he doesn't die. The whole reason he wanted to die was over a woman that chose his roommate over him, by the way, like his best friend. And it was this whole pining love thing. It was just a little just had, really bad incel vibes. You know what I mean?  Mike: Yeah, Jessika: I don't know. It just felt very strange. Like his whole motive was very, contrived it felt,  Mike: Yeah. Brubaker does a lot of good stuff, but he writes a lot of, kind of the modern equivalent of pulp noire.  Jessika: Mm.  Mike: Everything that you've described sounds very much like a Brewbaker story. You got to find the right thing. He writes some really good stuff. Like he's the guy who actually created the winter soldier for the Captain America Comics. Jessika: [00:05:00] Okay.  Mike: Yeah. He did a couple of other kind of like noire-ish stories for image that they were hit or miss for me, but when he's good, he's really good. And then other times it's just, it's not my vibe. Jessika: Okay. That's fair.  Mike: Yeah. Jessika: So, honestly though, again, it was one of those $1 Image teaser situations.  Mike: I love how they do that.  Jessika: I didn't feel like I really lost anything.  Mike: No, I think that's a really great strategy of theirs where it's just kind of the entry-level pilot. Jessika: Yeah, well, let's mosey on to our main topic.  Mike: Yes. Jessika: So last episode, just to recap, we covered an overview of the history and places you can read, watch and listen to the Sandman series. And if you haven't already listened to episode 15, we highly recommend you check out that episode for that. And our discussion on the first two volumes of the Sandman series, because from here, we are going to be discussing [00:06:00] volumes three and four. I don't really have many tidbits per se for us this episode. Really? We're just going to look at the plot and then talk about what we thought.  Mike: I actually have a couple of tidbits. Believe it or not, not many, but a couple. Jessika: Mike has tidbits everyone. I love it. I didn't even know. Well, awesome.  Mike: All right. So should we kick things off?  Jessika: Let's do it. Volume three is titled Dream Country and it was published in 1990 and only included issues 17 through 20. And what made up a four-story anthology. It was, of course, written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Kelly Jones, Malcolm Jones III, Charles Vess, and Colleen Duran. We start with the story of Calliope, the youngest Greek muse, who has been imprisoned by Erasmus Fry to be his own personal muse. Super gross. [00:07:00] She'd been captive for closest 60 years. So Erasmus gives Calliope to Richard Maddick, who is a writer who has one successful novel but now has hit a patch of writer's block. And unfortunately for Calliope, he's a greedy motherfucker who only cares about his own success. So he takes Calliope who has been left without clothes in a room alone. And of course, immediately rapes her. This one was really hard for me. You can already tell, as I'm trying to get through this description.  Mike: Yeah, it's an uncomfortable issue to read now. Even now it's, mean, it was really uncomfortable when I first read it when I was, I don't know, 18 or so. And it's just gotten increasingly gross as time goes on, especially now, post me too in the entertainment industry. Jessika: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, definite correlations there.  Mike: Oh yeah. Oddly prescient. Jessika: Yes. So Richard of course gets gains from this whole [00:08:00] situation and enjoys a few years of very good success. He writes more hit novels, some award-winning poetry, and even gets into Hollywood with writing and directing. So here we are again with the correlation situation and of course winning awards in that area. And this is all happening while Morpheus is still in prison, by the way, until he isn't any longer. And one thing we need to know about Calliope is that she and Morpheus have history. In fact, they have a child together. So Calliope calls out to him in desperation. After being told by her visiting muse sisters, that they were unable to help her and help Morpheus did. The author wanted ideas, then he was inundated with them. So many that they were causing him to have an actual breakdown seemingly with psychological effects. In the end, Richard sends someone to release her where he only finds Erasmus Fry's book in the room where she should have been.  Mike: And doesn't it [00:09:00] originally start out with Morpheus trying to free Calliope, but Richard doesn't want to, because he needs the ideas she gives him when he rapes her? Jessika: Yeah Mike: Yeah. And that's when Morpheus sits there and basically punishes him with an overflowing chalice of ideas. Jessika: Yeah. It's, definitely a fitting punishment. In my opinion  Mike: Yeah.  Jessika: story, number two was super fun. I think you and I can probably agree. And this story was about a cat speaking to a crowd of cats in a graveyard. And this cat told the story of having kittens and having them taken away by the people that owned her. And of course, the guy was super level-headed about the whole thing and took the kittens to a shelter and they were adopted by loving families and, oh wait, never mind. He put them all in a bag, tied the bag to a large rock, and threw it in a body of water. I just can't with people. Like, honestly, I can't,  Mike: It's a safe assumption that people are going to be terrible throughout this series. Jessika: I mean, it's true, [00:10:00] but I would love to have them all adopted. So the cat naturally is super upset but also looking for some sort of vengeance or something. And that night she has a dream where she goes on a long and difficult dream quest to see what is ultimately Meowpheus the cat.  Mike: Meowpheus I like that.  Jessika: So basically a Meowpheus tells her that cats used to rule. They were larger and humans were basically the pets. Instead, cats choosing to hunt humans for food and sport and keeping them to feed and groom them. One day, humans banded together and with participation from only 1000 humans, they were able to dream the same dream together and basically manifest humans being the alpha in the world, instead of the cats. And this went back into time where the power of the collective dream actually rewrote history in favor of humans, making the cat subservient. Instead. [00:11:00] The cat in the graveyard was basically preaching a gospel, asking all the cats in the graveyard to dream the same dream. That she was trying to get 1000 cats to help her so that, they could all pull a Cher and turn back time to be in power once again. I enjoyed the partying quippy remark from one of the listener cats, which was effectively good luck getting multiple cats to do anything at the same time. Mike: Uh, yeah. Accurate. Jessika: And while it was really sad and cruel I like the idea that cats have an attitude for a reason.  Mike: Yeah, I thought it was cute. It was just, it was a very, I mean, we'll get into this later on, but it was, I thought it was very. Jessika: Yeah. The third step. Told us, the creation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream wherein Morpheus has actually requisitioned the play in specific terms and asks Billy Shakes and his troop to perform in the middle of an empty field. Well, kind of. That field is not empty for a long as [00:12:00] Titania, Oberon, Puck, and all the other characters from the fairy realm have arrived through the portal, which Morpheus opens for them. It's mentioned during the dialogue between Titania and Morpheus, that this is probably the last time the mortal realm would allow them to enter, that they were feeling the hostility from Gaia upon their entry. During the play puck steps in for the actor playing himself and kills of course, and Titania is very strangely fascinated with Billy's 11 year old son Hamnett and is like trying to entice him. And then in the end, everybody, but Puck leaves the realm. And it's mentioned at the end of the issue that Hamnet died later that same year. So like, did Titania finally get Hamlet to go with her?  Mike: You know, it's left a little bit open, but it's playing into that whole idea of the changeling child and, you know, the mortals who go over into the very realm, as children, which I really liked that I thought it was a nice ending that was very bittersweet. Jessika: Yeah. I thought so too. And the fourth and final story [00:13:00] of this volume is called Facade and it is about a woman named Rainey who we learn has been given a gift by the sun, God Ra, which makes her a metamorph. Meaning that she can change her physical appearance, physically change faces, skin, everything. But this also means that she no longer has a normal human appearance. Her skin is scaly and multicolored. Her hair has turned of violent shade of green and her face is withered and her nose is almost completely gone. We find Rainie living a very solitary life, getting a monthly disability check and only interacting with the worker assigned to her, but disability case she's depressed and has suicidal ideations. Probably the scariest part of the story is when an old friend who works for the same company that Rainey was working for, when Ra messed her up, who invites her to lunch, Rainie sucks it up, puts on a face literally and meets [00:14:00] at the restaurant. Where her entire face falls off into a plate of spaghetti. I don't, I don't know about you like that. I thought it was super terrifying. Mike: Yeah. I mean, it goes back to that very human emotion of seeing someone that you haven't seen forever. And you're trying to do as much as you can to make sure that they don't see that you've changed too much.  Jessika: Yeah.  Mike: You and I are at that age now where it's like, people from high school want to get in touch and we're all older. You know, some of us are. And so you see these people and you still want to seem like the person that they knew, because you don't want to, you don't want them to comment on how you've changed. You don't want to acknowledge it. And I read it as she'd been working for like the CIA or an intelligence agency because they call it “The Company.” They don't ever refer to it as anything else. Jessika: I think it was something of that nature kind of checking out sites, et cetera.  Mike: Yeah.[00:15:00] But yeah, and then the whole thing is that because she can change her body into elements. She's, she's a sidekick from the old Moetamorpho series in the sixties. I didn't really know much about her, but I did a little digging cause I couldn't remember a lot. And so Metamorpho is a DC hero who is part of the justice league and his whole thing is that he can't. Basically change his body into any element that he wants. And so that was the whole thing where she's talking about, oh, like it's not hard for me to change the color of my hair. I I just turned it into copper and, and then she basically grows a kind of silica over her face, but she was saying that after roughly a day it gets stiff and, it falls off. And unfortunately, that's what happened with her, at her lunch with her friend. Jessika: Yeah. it was definitely a bummer. Mike: Yeah. Jessika: So of course, Rainey goes home crying where she has to break into her own house by melting the handle because she forgot her purse with her keys and breaks down crying. Death appears having been visiting one of Rainey's neighbors who fell off a stepladder and talks with Rainie, advising that she should [00:16:00] ask rah nicely to take away her gift, or at least giving us an option. She looks into the setting sun and becomes what I'm assuming is a pile of Ash. It looks like death didn't actually take her. So I'm not sure if Rainie is supposed to be just with the world. You know, just one with the world as it kind of seemed like she fear being  Mike: You know, I read it as like she was, she had her immortality taken away from her because she seemed so happy when she turned into, I don't know if it was ash or glass or something. It was kind of hard to tell what the art, and then it cracked and fell apart. And then Death answers the phone and says something along the lines of like, no, she, she can't come she's gone away or something to that effect. And, death isn't this cruel being or anything like that. I think death helped her move on. I'd like to think that she did. Jessika: Okay. Okay. Yeah. it was Fe usually. she like wanders away with the person [00:17:00] she's like low key reaping. Mike: Usually. Yeah. I don't know. I think maybe it was just a little bit, it, it was for the sake of narrative in this case,  Jessika: That's fair. That's fair.  Mike: But yeah. Urania was this, so her full name is Urania She was a side character for a few issues in Metamorpho's sixties series. And then she wound up basically giving herself the same powers that he had, and it was delivered via device called the Orb of RA. So it's really interesting because, Metamorpho is always a science character, because it's all about the elements of what he can turn himself into. But at the same time, there is in his background. is this like, you know, mystical quality to it. And so I liked that they kind of tapped into that mythology a little bit, and really they did a nice job with a character that I think most people had forgotten existed. Jessika: So, Mike, did You have a favorite [00:18:00] character part of the story? What did you dig from this?  Mike: This volume in particular, I really like, because it feels. Like a breather from the main narrative. And honestly, I think that's something that we needed because I mentioned last time, how I always am a little bit surprised at how dark the early stories are. They're very much horror stories with a little bit of fantasy kind of softening the blows a little bit, but there's a couple of moments in those first couple of volumes where I feel like I need to pack a flashlight. it's dark. but yeah, this collection is just, a much-needed change of pace just for a little bit. My least favorite story is the one with the cats. And it's not because I think it's bad. I just don't connect with it that much. Part of it is because we've got a rescue cat, we treat her better than the kids. Let's be honest. I can't fathom throwing kittens into a pond. It was just, it feels a little bit too mustache-twirly. You know, especially in this day and age where like, if people find out [00:19:00] about that you get tracked down on social media and just annihilate it. But it was cute. The whole bit where at the end, it's like, oh, it must be, it's dreaming, you know, it's chasing something and, you're like, oh, okay. Yeah. So it's, it's dreaming of hunting humans. Cool. Jessika: [laughs],  Mike: And it's funny, cause I was actually in a production of Midsummer Night's Dream when I first read this collection. So I loved everything about that specific issue. I loved how it tapped into fairy lore it showed this kind of weird, strange relationship with Titania and Oberon. And how absolutely sinister pock seemed not to mention how there's that dangling plot thread, where he basically gets loosed on earth afterwards  Jessika: mm.  Mike: I don't know. It's just, it's very different than any other portrayal I'd seen up until then. And, , it's interesting because they brought those characters specifically back in a number of different ways across the vertigo comics later on, like to Tanya actually had her origin explained in the Books of Faerie, which was in itself a series that [00:20:00] spun off of another comic that Neil Gaiman wrote called the Books of Magick, where eventually it's revealed that the main character from the Books of Magick, Tim Hunter, who was like the next great magician of the age, he's like our version of Merlin. It is very. They always leave it a little bit up in the air, but Titania''s his mother, because she was a human who was brought into the world of Fairie. And then eventually he got married to Oberon and then she had an affair with a human that was in service to Oberon.  Jessika: Okay.  Mike: She becomes a major part of the lore in her own right. Which I thought was really cool. And Puck shows up again later in the series. I, like I still squirm when I read that story of Calliope, especially where we are like sitting on the other side of me too, and the ongoing flood of stories about successful men in the arts, just being abusive, assholes to those who aren't as powerful as they are. Like when we're recording this, there's a whole flood of stories coming out of Activision [00:21:00] blizzard, if you're not in video games, they make Warcraft and a bunch of other stuff. it turns out that that was a really toxic place for women. And I spent almost a decade working in video games with various companies and yeah, it's not surprising, but it's just, these stories need to be told that at the same time, they're always super uncomfortable to read. Jessika: Yeah.  Mike: Um, yeah. And then, the facade story, I really liked, I really appreciate how gaming does this amazing job spinning out a story that's focused on loneliness and how harmful it is. and then I thought it was kind of neat that it arguably has a happy ending, though the main character dies. Jessika: Yeah. I can see that.  Mike: Same question back at you. What about you? Jessika: So, you know, I really enjoyed the cat story.  Mike: You don't say. Jessika: I did. I mean, I get it though. Like cats are, are super intense and honestly they make [00:22:00] me a little nervous. I heard some horror stories about cats, just going bananas on people and them just like getting super fucked up, like missing part of an ear and shit. Like I've heard some stories. That's just like a regular house cat. Oh, I don't think so  Mike: Well, and then you've met our cat. Jessika: Yeah. Well, yeah. You know that's but I don't, I didn't fear your cat right away. There are some cats I go into someone's house and I'm just like, oh, I got to watch my back.  Mike: We have a dog and a cat's body. Jessika: Yeah. Your cat's sweet.  Mike: No, she... she's fat and lazy and she knows who feeds her. So she's like, I'm good. I don't need to get out. I don't need to be now. Jessika: I'm strictly a dog household, so I just don't really truly get them to be honest with you. And I honestly, I'm kind of glad I have allergies as an excuse, not to have to get one. So did you have a favorite art moment in this volume? Like was there a panel or cover that really stood [00:23:00] out to you or hit you in some kinda way?  Mike: Yeah. That final sequence in the Midsummer issue, so that one was illustrated by Charles Vess and he's this really he's this artist that has this really beautiful illustration style that feels very old school storybook. Sarah loves this British artist named Arthur Rakim and Vess always kind of reminds me of his work, but the closing monologue by Puck is I gotta be at that closing monologue is kind of terrifying, especially with the way that it's illustrated. I also liked how this felt almost like, well, I mean, it was in certain ways, it was a sequel to men of good fortune, that issue that we talked about last time with Hob Gadling and the mortal that keeps on meeting up with Morpheus.  Jessika: Yeah.  Mike: Yeah, you remember during, the last book club episode, how I mentioned that Sandman won the World Fantasy Award. Yeah. So it was for this issue specifically, you know, and then they got all grumpy about it and they [00:24:00] changed it so that you could no longer win a world fantasy award with a comic book. So. The only comic book to ever win a world fantasy award, Jessika: extra salty,  Mike: extra salty. Jessika: Hate to see it.  Mike: what about you? Like, I'm actually curious. What did you think about Vess's illustration style? Because we haven't seen, I don't think we've really seen much of his artwork in the series up until now. Jessika: We haven't, and that's actually this, this was my favorite art volume as well, or art issue as well. I mean, it just, it was beautiful. It used color in a really interesting way that went from playful to dark and serious. I mean, it just with the same type of illustration and the color would just change the whole.  Mike: Yeah. Jessika: Which was super cool just by adding shadows, moving the colors. Plus you got to love a good donkey head and you know, okay. I was musing and you have to go with me on this journey. They had to have used a taxidermied donkey's head. Right.  Mike: [00:25:00] No, they, I  Jessika: Please. Come on, come on, go with me on this journey.  Mike: Ugh no. Hmm.  Jessika: Ah,  Mike: Like, like that's a whole element in that American Horror Story series, like where  they make a mandatory by putting a bull's head on a dude. Like, no, no, Jessika: I am going horror with this one. Mike: Well, have fun going down that road. I'm not there with you. Jessika: Okay. Well, that's good. I suppose we are on volume four  Mike: I suppose  Jessika: Volume Four!. Alright.  Mike: What accent is that? Jessika: I don't know, I do a lot, don't I? Mike: A little bit?  Jessika: I think it's my 1920s.  Mike: Okay.  Jessika: I don't know. It's like my newscaster, I used to have an old-timey newscaster kind of an accent that I did.  And I think I'm combining, I'm combining my Virginia [00:26:00] Montgomery Prescott, the third Esquire.  Mike: It's, that so proper American that it's almost English kinda like that very Northeastern accent.  Yeah.  Jessika: Yes. Yeah.  Mike: Yeah. All right.  Jessika: All right. Volume four is titled season of the mists and came out between 1990 and 1991 and included issues 21 through 28. Story as always was written by Neil Gaiman and illustration was done by Kelly Jones, Malcolm Jones, the third Mike Drigenberg, Matt Wagner, Dick Giordano, George Pratt, and P Craig Russell. Volume four begins with our introduction to destiny. Ooh. While wandering his realm is visited by the fates, the three sisters that we have seen previously, the sisters inform him that he needs to call a [00:27:00] reunion of all his siblings of the eternal realm. So off, he goes to the family gallery where he goes up to each portrait of his sibling and they appear out of the portrait. When summoned the siblings are a mix of characters we have seen. And one that is new to this issue. Death who is told to change her outfit, even though no one else was, I thought that was kind of rude.  Mike: Yeah, Destiny's a stickler for formality. Jessika: Yeah. Well, the other one's got to wear nimble to CWA. They got to wear whatever  Mike: Hmm. Jessika: I, whatever. I don't know. It makes me angry. So don't tell women they have to change. They are not a distraction. Death has followed by Dream and then the twins, Desire and Despair, and lastly Delirium who we come to find out, used to be Delight. So during their reunion, desire calls out Dream's treatment of lovers who have spurned [00:28:00] him, leading him to ask for validation of his actions from Death. And Death instead agrees with. Prompting dream to plan, to travel to hell in order to remove queen nada from her torturous captivity, who was, that was the subject of their whole conversation.  Mike: Yeah. And we actually saw that whole story in the previous volume to  Jessika: Yes,  Mike: saw what happened to. Jessika: exactly. so destiny closes out the reunion basically stating that the actions that needed to be put into motion had been accomplished by dream deciding to go back to. hell.  Mike: Yeah. Jessika: The next issue gives us a taste of what hell looks and feels like. So back in the dream realm, Dream is saying his goodbyes and makes a big announcement to those living in his realm. He tells them about Nada, how he had been unjust and how he had to rectify his actions and that he may not return as he is not on good terms with Lucifer. So [00:29:00] he sends Cain to Hell as a messenger to let loose for know that dream will be visiting whether he approves or not basically. So that was fun.  Mike: Well, he knows that he can't kill Cain because Cain is protected by the mark of Cain from, the Cain and Abel story. He knows about that.  Jessika: oh yeah. Yeah, for sure.  Mike: That's why dream sent Cain it's because he knows that Cain can't be killed. Jessika: Exactly. Exactly. Lucifer clearly is still really salty about being embarrassed. The last time dream was there and he makes an announcement to his, his demonic minions reminding them that he is the oldest and strongest bad-ass lets them know that dream will be returning and implies very strongly. That the day that Dream returns will be very memorable. Kane delivers the response to Dream. And on the last stop of his farewell tour, Dream also visits Hippolyta whose husband [00:30:00] was the pho dream king superhero thingy from one of the other stories while he was enslaved or, you know, captive.  Mike: Yeah. she and Hector the previous Doctor Fate were being used by Brute and Glob to basically create kind of like an island for them to operate outside of the dreaming the dreams of a kid who was being abused.  Jessika: Exactly.  Mike: And then, Dream is on her shit list because he sent her ghost of a husband on to wherever he got sent onto, but she was pregnant at the time. And so there's a connection between Dream and the baby because she carried the baby to term mostly in dreams, Jessika: Well, the baby was in gestation for like that, like 30, 30, 40 years or something more than that. I mean, it was like 60 years? I don't  remember how many it was like however long or  Mike: I,  Jessika: or was it just the kid timeframe? Mike: I think it was just the kid timeframe. So I think it was only for a couple of years, but still it was in gestation injuries for a long time compared to. Jessika: Oh, I can't even imagine [00:31:00] being pregnant once, let alone for like two years straight. Holy crap. And she was like really pregnant. That's not comfortable.  So Morpheus advises Hippolyta to take good care of the kid that had been gestating in the dream realm, because he will take it someday. So. Cool. Thanks, Dream. That's awesome.  Mike: Really endearing us to you, buddy. Jessika: Yeah. serious. Oh, he also gives her the name Daniels because she had kind of been struggling with a name for him.  Mike: Yeah.  Jessika: So that's the kid's name now? I guess. So Dream makes his way to hell anticipating a fight with Lucifer, but what He finds is an eerily empty hell with Lucifer in the process of locking all the gates. And when asked about this loose advises that he's, he's done, he's quitting and he is no longer the ruler of hell. He's freed everyone and everything that was locked up. And he's not really sure what happened to them or where they all went, whether it was to earth or other realms or what, but he just [00:32:00] knows they're no longer in hell Mike: Yeah. He likes straight up. Does not care.  Jessika: Oh, zero fucks. None.  Mike: They're his favorite kind of problem. Not his. Jessika: Then he goes, Yeah. think I'm bluffing. Hey, here's a knife. Why don't you cut off my wings? Just see, just, just go ahead and see. And, and Dream does. And then as a parting gift, he hands the key to hell Dream stating basically Like Hey, this is your problem now. Mike: Yeah.  Jessika: that's some high-level trolling.  Mike: Dream was prepared for just about every outcome except that one. It is. Jessika: Exactly. We are then introduced to Oden who travels to the cavern where Loki is being held captive and has been enduring an eternity of torture until Ragnarok, the end times in which the Asgardian realms would be destroyed. Odin [00:33:00] frees low-key from his situation and asks him to help him as he wants to take over the Hell situation since Lucifer abdicated and Loki agrees to help, then we cut back to dream because he's not really sure what to do. So he calls on his sister death for advice. And she has like, no time. First of all, she has no time for him in that issue. She's like, what do you need? I'm super busy. She pretty much says, this is your problem. Also, he knows things are going to go down and he hides, frustrated his castle basically. And then he just starts getting visited by all these different parties, all wanting the keys to hell. So you have the Asgardians, Azazzle and a demon Envoy who're like “That's my house. I just want to live in my house again.” Mike: Yeah.  Jessika: Yeah. Anubis and Bastet who are like, yo, [00:34:00] you know, who does a good job with death with underworlds let me show you.  Mike: it's a really eclectic mix of mythological figures because you also have. The Lords of chaos and order send their envoys, Shivering Jemmy from the Lords of chaos who... I really like her. I think she's a great,  Jessika: did too.  Mike: and then the Lords of order send their representative and it's a cardboard box that basically spits out ticker tape  and  Jessika: Which  Mike: And, then you get the elves, a ferry at one point. And they have, a really unique proposition, which is that the lands of Faerie had a tie to hell where every seven years they had to send over a certain number of , their best and brightest as a sacrifice. And they wanted, basically begging dream, not to let hell reopen. Jessika: And we did. We establish that That was still a thing when all the other shit went down.  Mike: That specific deal? Jessika: yeah.  Mike: Oh yeah. It's still a deal. And actually, that was a whole thing in the books of [00:35:00] magic. They have a whole thing with ferry and hell going into conflict with each other, because I think it has been almost 20 years since I read this last. But if I remember right, it was, I think Faerie refused to pay the tithe anymore anymore. And as a result, they basically straight up, went to war with hell. and it was, oh man, it was cool. I remember liking that storyline. I don't remember it enough to really talk about it a lot though, because it's  been so long.  But it's, it's good. It's in one of the collected volumes of the Books of Magick that they did, they only collected the first 50 issues, 50 through 75 aren't collected anywhere. Jessika: Hmm.  Hmm. So we also had Suzan O No Mikto  Mike: Yes.  Jessika: Oh, and a couple of angels who were there just to be voyeurs to the situation  Mike: Yeah. Jessika: and Dream finally lets them into the castle. [00:36:00] After he stopped sulking and he advises that he'll be hosting a banquet and having accommodation set up and they could discuss the key to the realm the next day, basically. And we start seeing the consequences of hell's release through a boys boarding school where one solitary boy is staying over during the holidays while his father, as a prisoner of war in Kuwait  and all hell returns. When boys and staff who used to attend the school, start to show back up  Mike: yeah. Jessika: Along with the headmasters previously deceased mother.  Mike: Yes. It's... that issue. It's really interesting because I really didn't like it originally. And I've come to appreciate it more because it feels like a very Gothic or story kind of like the Hunting of Hill House from Netflix.  Jessika: I can see that. Yeah.  Mike: yeah.  Jessika:  It was wild.  Like all of them had reasons that they were in hell.  Mike: Yeah. That [00:37:00] issue is really interesting and it's really weird because it's drawn by Matt Wagner, who has a very interesting style. All of his own Wagner himself is famous for creating a couple of different characters on his own. Like he created a character called the Grendel, who is this assassin and wound up becoming a cult property, had a long run with Dark Horse, if I remember right. But this story in season at the mist is really creepy because the whole thing is that the dead are coming back to earth and all sorts of unexpected ways. And then there were a bunch of boys who were really awful, Who come back and they start tormenting Charles, because he's the only living soul there. And he's also, you know, he's a sweet, sensitive little kid, like who is just an easy target for people like that. And the thing is, is like, that was me when I was at that age was I was that sensitive kid who was just an easy target for bullies. And so it was really hard to read it when I was younger. And, I've got a little different perspective now, [00:38:00] but it's, still tough. Anyway, go on. Jessika: Oh, that's okay. So yeah, Charles, unfortunately, he got tortured by that trio of boys. And apparently those boys had murdered another school boy as an offering to Lucifer. So joke's on them, the offering didn't save them from the torture of damnation,  Mike: Yeah. Jessika: so Charles ends up being physically tortured and then starves to death. And his only companion was that other boy who had been killed on the premises that boy, that, those,  that trio allegedly sacrificed. Edwin. Yeah. So death rolls up to pick them up and Charles says “Yeah, no thanks. I'm gonna hang out with, uh, Edwin and deaths. Like you don't, I don't, I don't have time for this. Like literally every one is coming back. Like I literally don't have time. I will come back for you.  Mike: I loved that she was in early nineties, jogging paraphernalia, like  Jessika: Yeah.  Mike: I thought it was fantastic. Jessika: was ready for it.  Mike: [00:39:00] I may be misremembering this, but I thought it was really funny how it was like, I think it was like pink and purple too. Like it was very colored. Jessika: I think it did have some color to it.  Yeah. Oh, funny. So back in the dream realm, two more guests from the theory realm, those two that we had talked about, they arrive and the banquet in. And each of the guests eats and drinks, their desire delicacies, cause , poof we're in dreamland and shenanigans ensued due to the differences of the attendees. And one by one, they basically corner Morpheus requesting a private conversation and he provides each of them with a signal stadium that he'll meet with them after the banquet and entertainment have concluded Cain and Abel show up as the entertainment we're able dies,by being cut in half and then being made into sausage in a magic act  Mike: which. That is a, that is a recurring theme with Cain and Abel in, in the Sandman comics.  Jessika: Yeah, I've noticed.  Mike: But, [00:40:00] Cain was the host of another horror series called the house of misery. And he always had this kind of macabre sort of sense of humor. I know Abel eventually showed up in the house mystery series. I don't know if Cain murdered him every time. I wouldn't be surprised. Jessika: Fair enough. So this is this tracks apparently, each of the guests go off to their respective quarters to wait to be summoned. And they each go to Morpheus, either offering something they think he would want or threatening him in order to turn over control the key to hell. And he advises each one of them that he will announce his decision in the morning. And once in the privacy of his own quarters, he ruminates on the pressure of the weight of his responsibility that was dropped on him.  Mike: Yeah. What was your favorite bargaining tactic? I've got mine. I'm curious about yours. Jessika: I didn't like the whole trading people thing. I don't know. Cause they were all so good in different ways. Like order and chaos were both really interesting to me. I think chaos just being like, [00:41:00] we will find you  Mike: Chaos was my favorite Jessika:  I was going to say like, but Shivering Jemmy was just so funny to begin with.  Mike: Well,  Jessika: was just such an interesting.  Mike: you know, they play, they play with this a lot because, Dr. Fait is one of the Lords of order, DC comic books. And so there's always been this presentation that, order is, the right way to go. And what I kind of enjoyed is that this very much embodies, no order is a dull little box in chaos is chaos. It's not what you expect. And so they send this, hobo girl with a red balloon and  Jessika: like, uh, like a clown face.  Mike: yeah, and she's like, speeding. Almost like toddler English, like it's much younger phrasing than you would expect from a kid who looks like they're 10 or 11. And then, turns into this monstrous thing, delivering ungodly threats to the Lord of dreams. And then, you know, it turns back into the little kid again, after when it was like,[00:42:00] byeeeee. Yeah, I can get behind this. Jessika: So good. She just ate ice cream for dinner too, which I loved.  Mike: Oh yeah. It was so good. I, again, I think she shows up in the books of magic later on, but I can't remember for that one. Jessika: That's amazing. So I really did like her as a character.  Mike: it was good. Jessika: So the next morning. As Morpheus, still struggles to decide to whom he will grant the key. He is visited by the voyeur angels who tell him they have a message for him from the creator who dictates that the two angels will now run hell and guess what guys, you're not allowed back to the silver city Remiel. Oh, Remiel was not happy about this situation. He did not take this well.  Mike: No, he did not it was very much implied that he was about to rebel, like Lucifer. Jessika: Yup. He's like fuck the shit. [00:43:00] Why do I have to go down there? And he had that. He was like, this is your fault. I was like, whoa, damn, you need to go calm down. Your silent homie is not the enemy. there was some salt. This issue.  So Morpheus hands over the key after Remiel takes a chill pill and Morpheus still has the task of telling the other as the outcome of his decision and lets them know the decision was really made for him that if the creator of hell wanted angels to run it, who was he to decide differently from what the creator of that thing wanted to do with it. And most of his guests took this. Okay. I liked orders response of this? This is logical.  Mike: Yeah. And then chaos is like, man, it's fine. We just didn't want order to get it. It's fine. Whatever. Jessika: Exactly.  Mike: And then  Jessika: was even better.  Mike: doesn't she give Morpheus her balloon afterwards?  Jessika: Yeah.  Mike: Yeah, I thought that was great Jessika: She's like, oh, well,  I didn't really want this anyway. [00:44:00] but Azazel was especially upset about this whole situation  Mike: Embodiment of bitter party of one. Jessika: Yes. yes. Table for one. Absolutely. And he pretty much said that he was going to consume the souls of Nada as well as his companions from hell, because he had actually kidnapped her.  Mike: Yeah, and we should note that one of his companions from hell was actually, the demon who had Morpheus's helm before. it was a honied offer of him sitting there and saying, well, I will give you the woman that you're searching for, but then I'll also let you enact punishment of this guy who challenged you and to make you look bad in front of all of hell. Jessika: That makes sense. I was kind of wondering why he was like, why would he care about this one, dude? But that makes way more sense. I forgot about that, dude.  Mike: Yep.  Jessika: There's a lot. There's a lot to remember in this.  Mike: You know, I can't remember everything and I've read this series multiple times. It's a dense story. And I always feel like. I probably caught things before, but, I always [00:45:00] find things that I feel like I'm discovering for the first time with each reread. Jessika: Oh, that's so cool. I'm so glad I picked up the trade paperbacks.  Mike: Yeah. I'm glad that you, I'm glad you're spearheading this. This is a really fun series to talk about. Jessika: Thank you. So Azazel tells Morpheus, basically, I'm going to consume the souls of Nada and my other companion, unless Morpheus could jump into the abyss of space of teeth,  the abyss of his Azazel's teeth, which he's just like space with teeth. Like that's what he is.  Mike: And eyes.. Jessika: And eyes. Yeah, that's right. He does have eyes too, but he's just like a bunch of Maltz mostly. Yeah. So Morpheus does it. He does the thing and jumps in, finds them, captures his Azazel  after he tries to go back on his word of letting them go. If he'd have found his company. And then asks his Raven friend, Matthew, to tell Nada that he needs to talk with her because he has some apologizing to do,  Mike: Mm Jessika: The inhabitants of hell [00:46:00] begun to return as the new angel leaders look on and dream meets with nada and makes a pitiful attempt at half-apology and Nada slaps him and in doing so extracts an actual apology, which it shouldn't take that much. But Dream seems to realize how he's in the wrong.  Although he almost immediately negates that understanding by once again, asking her to be the queen of the dream realm.  Mike: Yeah.  Jessika: Bro. She was, and she was like, bro, we've done this already. I don't want to do this. I already said no to you once. And  I meant it.  Mike: I really appreciate that gaming does not make dream this infallible being, he very much shows like, no, he is. A flawed dude  Jessika: Yeah.  Mike: and he doesn't always get things immediately. Jessika: Yeah, That was really interesting. [00:47:00] That piece of it, I mean, dream has to concede, but he he basically says, let's go discuss your future.  Mike: yeah,  Jessika: Which is really neat, cause he's taken her whole life away and, and then some, and he's in a, he's a negative said this blank she's for thousands of years been tortured in hell. Like how do you even make that up?  Mike: Exactly. And that was actually something that I was curious about the first time I read it, I'm like, how do you make this right? cause that's, that is so much red in the ledger. Jessika: That's What I was thinking too. It's like, oh, okay, well, what are you going to do now, dude, aspire flowers and be like, well, babe,  Mike: What about you chocolates? I only ate half of them. Jessika: right? It's Valentine's day it's. This is what we do. Right. So, so Loki who was supposed to have been taken back to his cave of acid dripping wonder  Mike: His torture cave, Jessika: his torture cave with a snake and a woman. And torture.  Mike: where he is [00:48:00] bound in the entrails of his own son and his wife catches venom dripped from a snake's fang. And then occasionally when she empties the cup, that's catching the phenom. It causes him to shake the earth and agony. And that's why we get earthquakes. Norse mythology is a thing.  Jessika: Yes. And so Loki though has switched places, the little trickster he is with Suzano No-Ol-Mikoto who was sent back to the cavern to be forever tortured, which is rough. He didn't do anything. And then he tries to cut a deal with dream, to not get them sent back.  Mike: he, he does like, he actually cuts a deal with him. Jessika: I mean, he does cut a deal He does, which. Guy, are you at least get a, go get the other homie from the blade? He doesn't, he doesn't even go other homes. Mike: yeah, he does  Jessika: like he does.  Mike: Yeah, he does. He says what I'll do is, as I will, I will basically create , an illusion of you in that tormented space.  Jessika: Okay. I must have missed that part because I  was just like guy. [00:49:00]  Mike: it's a throwaway line. It's he basically sits there and he says like, but if I do that, you owe me a favor.  Jessika: Okay. I mean, I got that part of it. I was like, you're getting out of this, but like, whoa,  Mike: I have a lot of favorite moments in this, in this volume, but that was one of my favorites where dream asks him and he's like, why did you choose Susano No O Mikoto, but Loki basically just says, yeah, I just really don't like thunder gods. And I was like,  Jessika: Which all  Mike: also I love how much of just a turd Thor is throughout the entire time that he appears he's such a gross dude.  Like there's  Jessika: gross.  Mike: the bit where he's trying to hit on bass and he's like, do you want to touch my hammer? It gets bigger when you play with it. I'm like, blech Jessika: it was so bad. And that he's just trashed. He's just like,Ugh.  Mike: Well, I think bast actually scratches up his face too, which I thought was great.  Jessika: Yup. Yup. Mike: but it's funny because I read this in the nineties, give or take my only exposure to Thor in comic [00:50:00] books before that had been Thor, the superhero, and this was such a wildly different take on him. I was like, this is amazing cause Thor was awful and mythology. Jessika: Yeah. Oh Yeah. there were definitely some, questionable stories that I have read. Yes.  Mike: Anyway, I really enjoyed that.  Jessika: yeah. So we also find out that Nuala that was one of the two ferries is being left in the dream realm, even though the ferry deal was not the one that panned out her bros, just like, see ya. I, I wasn't ever supposed to bring you back. You're staying regardless.  Mike: Yeah. You're, a gift from the court to dream.  Jessika: Which, and he's just like, okay. And he's like, oh, by the way, I don't dig glamour here. So you can just drop the glitz. You're glimmering right now. And then she's just this little petite, mousy hair, smaller elf looking, which, you know what I did not, I didn't like the whole idea that, she had to be, [00:51:00] that,  That she felt like she had to glamour to begin with. And that, that was a whole thing.  Mike: I don't know what part of mythology it is, but, but one of the European pieces of mythology is that the elves have an ability to wrap themselves in illusion. in that they're actually these kinds of weird, gross little things. So that, that was tying into kind of the European folklore. But yeah, it's a thing. I don't remember if she shows up in later issues. I think she does, but I don't remember. Jessika: I mean, that would suck to just be like, by the way you live in the dream realm now oh and we're never featuring you again. Double rough.  Mike: yeah,  Jessika: Yeah. So after dream is like, nah, you gotta be you, boo. He goes and puts not a soul into a newborn child basically. So it's assumed that she will get to live the life that dream took from her so many centuries ago.  Mike: Yeah. He basically, he, he gives her the opportunity to live life again, kind of wiping the slate clean, which is, mean, let's be honest. That's probably the best offer that [00:52:00] he can give her. Jessika: He also puts her in a male body, which like, talk about like leveling up,  Mike: Yeah.  Jessika: Come on. You're already doing better. Mike: Yeah. And then he has that really nice moment where he says something along the lines of I will remember you and love you matter what body wear. And you will always be welcome in the dream realm. I have my quibbles with, with Dream, especially with this whole storyline. But I feel like that was arguably the best solution he could have come up with. Jessika: Oh I agree. Yeah, when I did see that, that was the solution. I mean, you can't provide somebody with multiple lifetimes, but you can take away the pain of knowing that that happened and provide them with a new life that you don't interfere with. I thought it was a good, a good deal. I guess. All things considered.  Mike: Yeah. Jessika: We then cut to Lucifer, wingless, chilling on a beach, looking at the sunset where he is approached by an older man who walks [00:53:00] over and make small, talk about the sunset with him and stay till, see him tomorrow. If he's still there and Lucifer admitting that the sunset is actually really beautiful, goddammit and giving some credit to the creator. And we end the volume with the two new leaders of hell going around and making quote unquote changes  Mike: yeah. Jessika: the way things are. Basically, they're still going to be torture, but it's supposed to be phrased differently as a rehabilitation, but the angels don't quite understand the meaning of the tortures of hell, which makes it even worse.  Mike: Yeah. It's so uncomfortably abusive where they're like, no, we're doing this because we love you. And one day you'll thank us for it. Jessika: Yeah.  Mike: you're just like, woo.  Jessika: It's it was a gross abuser situation.  Mike: Yeah. And then there's that bit where one of the souls is like, no, you don't understand that makes it worse. Jessika: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Oh Yeah. And unfortunately the angels start to embrace their [00:54:00] roles in the endless pain and suffering.  Mike: Yeah. And that's actually, that's something that is, brought back to the forefront in Lucifer, the series that Mike Carey wrote in the late nineties to early odds, which I've talked about this before, but like that series is also, I think just as good as Sandman. It's really great, we also see a lot of pantheons of different gods getting pulled into Lucifer's machinations and there's a whole thing where he makes things difficult for the angels running hell. Jessika: Oh, I'm excited to see it  Mike: It's very good. Jessika: Well what were your overall impressions of the story and who were your favorite or least favorite characters or events of this?  Mike: It's actually hard to sit there and talk about just a couple of favorite moments because I really love this collection. I loved it when I first read it. I still love it. I love the strange sadness of the overall story and the original takes on the gods. And also, I really love the twist that heaven takes over [00:55:00] the running of hell. We talked about how I really enjoyed Dream kind of, spoiling the plot twist about Loki, having switched places with Susano. And, I really soured on Dream as a character in these early issues over time. I dunno it, like, when I read this as a kid, I was like, oh, okay. He feels bad about his actions. And is going to rescue this woman that he loves from hell and now I'm like, motherfucker, you put her in hell. And she details how awful her time there was like, come on, dude, you condemned her there for millennia just because she wouldn't marry you?Like, get fucked. Jessika: And then you said, I guess I did something bad if that's how you feel.  Mike: it wasn't even, you didn't even come to this realization  on your own. You had to be told by multiple people that you fucked up. Like a mediocre white guy in his thirties, you sat there and dug your heels and went no, no. Well,  maybe Jessika: “I don't think that's right.”  Mike: maybe. All right, fine. [00:56:00] It's like, whatever, Jessika: Oh, no.  Mike: like that. I'm coming down harsher on dream than you are. Jessika: No, but that's how I felt about it too. I mean, you're just doing all the work. I'm just going to sit back and ride this ride because I'm like, I'm there with you, but I'm like passenger seat. I'm chilling. Like I don't need to be the navigator. We have maps now we have Google maps. It's fine.  Mike: I'm sitting there swinging my arms and getting all mad and getting the cardio. Jessika: Oh yeah. And I'm doing the pumping our movement of the trucks next to me. You know, I'm just along for this ride. No, I agree. He's a shit heel and a lot of these, and I'm like, I have had more than a few moments where I think to myself, how am I supposed to feel about this character? But then I think to myself, no, that's a good character. But then I think to myself, no: That's a good character. That's a good character, because that means it's complex. It's more realistic because that's what people.  Mike: Yeah. To be honest, he is that privileged male character who has never had to really stop and think about his [00:57:00] actions really not have things go his way.  And we are now at the part of tonight's program where we are finding out after having fucked around for a while. Jessika: Fucked around so hard. So Well, I really enjoyed the banquet and I really liked the different interactions between the different mythologies and how they behaved and what they ate. And it was really funny, but I also thought it was very thoughtful. In the way that it was done. And similarly with the way that each party had a different way and signal to meet with dream, it just really showed his understanding and empathy by adapting to each of his guests needs.  Mike: Yeah.  Jessika: Or perhaps he's just used to doing this for each individual's dreams.  Mike: Well, it's a little bit open to interpretation because in other episodes you see his appearance changed. Like there was, you know, he was Meowpheus. Jessika: Yep.  Mike: So my take on him is that his appearance. Doesn't change. It's just, we [00:58:00] perceive them in different ways. And because we are, you know, people reading the story, we are seeing him in his siblings manifest as people.  Jessika: That's very astute, sir.  Mike: But yeah, I mean, like you looked at like the different art styles that came into play when he was meeting with the different gods. And I mean, I, I still think about how doesn' het have like a tea ceremony with Suzano when they're, when they're talking. And then I feel like it's much darker and moodier when he meets with Odin. And then again, the art style changes again when he meets with Bast.  Jessika: Yeah. Well, speaking of art, did you, did you have a favorite art moment in this volume?  Mike: Yeah. okay. So you remember how last time we talked about how I have this, one defining moment where in Men of Good Fortune hob has these three panels where his face changes?  Yeah. There's a couple of different images throughout the series that I always just kind of have pop up in my head when I think about it. And one of them is from this volume and it's the bit where he's inside a Zazzle and [00:59:00] he's like prying open the mouse and the empty space and he's floating around it feels kind of more traditionally action comic booky, and the way that it's drawn, that's not a bad thing. It's just, for some reason it feels that way. And I, I think it's really good. and I also really liked how at the end of it, he reveals that he is trapped. Azazel in a jar. It's very in keeping with how Gaiman would resolve conflict in ways that could be a giant battle, but instead they're very clever. , it was like when they had the battle between him and Dr.Destiny, and then afterwards you get the field of white and then it turns out he's just sitting in the Palm of dream's hand. Jessika: Yes. Yeah.  Mike: Yeah.  Jessika: So good.  Mike: I'm curious, you're approaching this with fresh eyes because this is the first time you've read through this. So I'm wondering, do you have the same moments or are they different? Jessika: I actually thought Morpheus had a lot of really good billowing robe moments.  Mike: Yes. Jessika: Like, I mean, they didn't have, I think they may have had like one semi-full page of like a billowy robes situation. But there were quite a few shots of him, like floating into [01:00:00] hell and he was just making an entrance  Mike: yeah. I was just thinking that Jessika: here for it. Yeah.  Mike: he's got his helm  Jessika: Yeah.  Mike: the bit where  Jessika: dressed up. This is the met gala. He is here.  Mike: Yes. And then what I really liked about that was there's that moment where Lucifer is like, are you afraid of me? And more visas? Like, yes. And I'm like, all right. Not, your difficult comic book. All right. Cool. Jessika: Just being real between you and I. Absolutely.  Mike: That was great. Jessika: Yeah. So I really like, again, to your point about what you really enjoyed was the kind of feeling of movement of probably him floating through space and having that action feeling. That's what I really liked about the billowy ropes. Was it just, I could almost see them moving,  and I could feel the movement of him floating down, which was so neat. Yeah. Well, let's move along to our brain wrinkles. [01:01:00]  Mike: All right. Jessika: So this is the one thing comics or comic-related. That has just been sticking in our noggin since the last time we spoke. So, what is it for you?  Mike: Well, Sarah and I had our anniversary this week, and she got me this really cool book called American Comic Book Chronicles, the 1990s by Jason Sachs and Keith Dallas. Do you remember those American century books from time life? They were those prestige format  photo history books, and they would document major moments in America and world history from across the 20th. Jessika: I do. Yup.  Mike: I feel like every school library had a complete volume.  Jessika: Exactly.  Mike: So this is like that except for Comics. And so it's really cool. And nobody should be surprised at this point to hear that I particularly love comics from the eighties and nineties. And as I'm reading through this book, it's reminding me about how absolutely insane the early nineties were when it came to the comic book industry and [01:02:00] also just comic collecting in general. So I think we're going to have to do an episode where we talk about something related to that topic sooner or later, probably sooner. it has been rattling around my head for the past couple of days where I just reread I've read the stuff that some of it, I knew some of it I didn't and all of it's insane. Jessika: well, let's definitely talk sooner rather than later, because let's go back to childhood.  Mike: All right. You talked me into it. We're going to do a nineties episode at some point. It's fine. FINE! Jessika: Twisted his arm. There's no violence on this podcast. I'm a pacifist. God dammit.  Mike: Uh, but yeah, that's me. What about you? Jessika: Well, Mike, you told me about the podcast Bitches on Comics, which, okay. I'm not going to lie to you. I've binged the first 45 episodes since you told me about it less than a week ago, you haven't, it hasn't been a week.  Mike: I can't remember. I know it's been about a week. [01:03:00] I really like that show. Jessika: It's been about a week. Okay. It's so good. And they have their, I mean, they're very queer, which are, you know, a hundred percent I'm here for, and I got to tell you, they,  Mike: Like more queer fans of comic books. Oh, no. Jessika: Oh, no. Well, and they have this thing in there where they're. There aren't a lot of queer podcasts about comic books and I'm like, wait, we're here now, here we are. Pick us.  Mike: Yeah, exactly. I'm like, oh, can we come talk to, you want to have us on, or do you want to come on our show? Like, whatever you want to talk about, it's fine.  Jessika: I, will awkwardly approach them with my bag lunch and ask if I can sit with them.  Mike: Oh, a hundred percent. Yeah. They're great. their Mojo episode, I thought was really interesting and I wound up tweeting with them for a little while because they pointed out that there really aren't many characters like mojo. And I think I made a good point with him. I mentioned how Superman's bill and Mr. Mxyzptlk might be another equivalent character[01:04:00] where he's all about throwing shit up in the air and, disrupting everything but no, they, they were great. Jessika: So good. Well, they, in episode three, they introduced me to the novel, the refrigerator monologues, which delves into the, the idea of women in comics being fridged or killed just for entertainment sake, or to drive a plot narrative, or to make the, the main hero sad, or, basically as a plot tool and the refrigerator monologues delves into it as first-person accounts of female superheroes and how they had been used. And I went and listened to it because you can find it. I kept it on hooplah actually. So I listened to it for free and it was an audiobook.  It was very, very good. And he talked about them not having autonomy or storylines of their own. it got me thinking about the way that we write characters and who we are allowed to succeed in [01:05:00] any given situation. I don't know, I just, I highly recommend this book and I highly recommend listening to Bitches on Comics because they have got me just like thinking about shit.  Mike: Yeah, you and I should talk about a Hawk and Dove from DC in the 1980s and how they just did the most egregious fringing of Dove in a 1991 crossover in a way that was really bad. it's one of those things where I still talk about it. I've been talking about it for 20 years because it's so wild. Jessika: Man. Well.I guess we'll have a really uplifting conversation about that later. I'm sure I'm going to have no zero opinions about that.  Mike: No. Jessika: I tell you, I commit now. No opinions. I can't commit to that. Everyone knows I'm

Cross James Merrill, H. P. Lovecraft, and Carlos Castaneda -each imbued with a twenty-first-century aptitude for quantum theory and existential psychology-and you get the voice of Daniel Pinchbeck. And yet, nothing quite prepares us for the lucidity, rationale, and informed audacity of this seeker, skeptic, and cartographer of hidden realms.Throughout the 1990s, Pinchbeck had been a member of New York's literary select. He wrote for publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, and Harper's Bazaar. His first book, Breaking Open the Head, was heralded as the most significant on psychedelic experimentation since the work of Terence McKenna.But slowly something happened: Rather than writing from a journalistic remove, Pinchbeck-his literary powers at their peak-began to participate in the shamanic and metaphysical belief systems he was encountering. As his psyche and body opened to new experience, disparate threads and occurrences made sense like never before: Humanity, every sign pointed, is precariously balanced between greater self-potential and environmental disaster. The Mayan calendar's "end date" of 2012 seems to define our present age: It heralds the end of one way of existence and the return of another, in which the serpent god Quetzalcoatl reigns anew, bringing with him an unimaginably ancient-yet, to us, wholly new-way of living.A result not just of study but also of participation, 2012 tells the tale of a single man in whose trials we ultimately recognize our own hopes and anxieties about modern life.Pinchbeck, journalist and author of the drug-riddled psychonaut investigation Breaking Open the Head, has set out to create an "extravagant thought experiment" centering around the Mayan prophecy that 2012 will bring about the end of the world as we know it, "the conclusion of a vast evolutionary cycle, and the potential gateway to a higher level of manifestation." More specifically, Pinchbeck's claim is that we are in the final stages of a fundamental global shift from a society based on materiality to one based on spirituality. Intermittently fascinating, especially in his autobiographical interludes, Pinchbeck tackles Stonehenge and the Burning Man festival, crop circles and globalization, modern hallucinogens and the ancient prophesy of the Plumed Serpent featured in his subtitle.

In this episode I have the privilege of interviewing Molly Ringwald. What mom hasn't watched the iconic films of Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast club, and Sixteen Candles when they were teens in the 80's. Molly talks about her past, what it's like to be a mom of teens, and how her 80's movies helped her be a better mom to her kids. Molly shares about her newest passion project The 16 Vaccine campaign. Molly is dedicated to educating other parents about the crucial second dose of the MenACWY vaccine. Joining her is Dr. Albert Karam who shares his perspective as a seasoned pediatrician. Star of stage, screen and television, Molly Ringwald's credits include the film All These Small Moments which was released in January 2019 by Orion Classics and is on Video on Demand (premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival), an arc on The Netflix series “Tales of the City,” Netflix's film series The Kissing Booth, CW's “Riverdale,” and the off-Broadway production of “Terms of Endearment.”. An accomplished author and translator, her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, New York Times, Vogue, Esquire, The Guardian, and more. Her translation of the French novel Lie with Me (April 2019) and the memoir "Your Name Was Maria Schneider” (2022) are both for Scribner. Today, she is carrying out her most important role and the one she is most proud of – being a mother to three children. Dr. Albert G. Karam is a pediatrician in Dallas, Texas. He is affiliated with the Karam Pediatric Group and is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical School. Known affectionately as “Dr. Al, the Kiddie's Pal,” Dr. Karam has been recognized by multiple organizations, including Best Doctors in America, Texas Monthly's Texas Super Doctors, and D Magazine's Best Pediatricians in Dallas. He received his undergraduate degree in chemistry from McNeese State University, and then attended Medical School at LSU Medical Center Shreveport. To learn more visit https://the16vaccine.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We swashbuckle from rooftop to rooftop in The Castle of Cagliostro, along with mystery castle expert: comedian and writer, Drew Kramcsak. This week we follow Lupin III to the vaguely European and beautifully animated countryside in the classic anime film, The Castle of Cagliostro, the directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki. Noah pretends to be blonde, Michael remembers things about Inspector Gadget, and everyone goes out to a diner to get cheesecake once it's all over. Plus: Drew puts in a plug for Esquire magazine circa 1957 and shares a strange story about a smelly factory. Podcast cover art by Myriam Bloom. Theme music excerpted from "Solve the Damn Mystery!" by Jesse Spillane. Thank you to our mystery guest, Drew Kramcsak.

Acclaimed defense attorney Arthur Aidala explains how he would defend the infamous 'subway pusher' that was arrested earlier this week after another incident on the city subways.

Today we're joined by the magical Eve Esquire. Eve is an actor, writer, producer, director, burlesque performer and unicorn. We talk about growing up in a small town as the only child among adults, playing with action figures, and having confidence in your own talent. As an autistic asexual polyamorist, Eve embraces being different and encourages us all to just beliEVE! You can find her show 8 Inches High on YouTube as Eve Esquire and with the horror sketch comedy group Nightchurch.

Not long after the COVID-19 pandemic began, award-winning journalist and former Esquire magazine staff writer Chris Jones started telling Friday afternoon stories on his Twitter account, @enswelljones. Because of his time profiling celebrities for Esquire and because Jones is the kind of guy who often finds himself in hilariously embarrassing situations, many of the stories went viral (one was read 8 million times and another 10 million). The stories were exactly what people were looking for, offering levity and laughter during a dark and heavy time, and that was purposeful. Jones is no stranger to darkness, and with his Friday afternoon stories he set out to offer some light. In this wide-ranging conversation about life, luck, mental health and what happens when the narratives we have in place for our lives crumble around us, Jones shares how his mid-life career change and divorce, along with anxiety, depression and bouts of suicidal ideation, have shaped who he is today -- a guy from Port Hope, Ontario, who wants to make the world just a little bit better. Some links to things talked about in this episode: Esquire story Chris Jones wrote about Kelsie's Chris in 2007, Pete Simon Twitter story, George Clooney Twitter story, peeing on a guy Twitter story, Ricky Williams Twitter story.A warning: this episode contains conversations about suicide and suicidal thoughts. 

40 Thieves on Saipan is the thrilling, untold WWII story of an elite platoon of Marines: the Sixth Marine Regiment's Scout-Snipers—nicknamed the “Forty Thieves” by their peers. The platoon's unique skills in stealth, deadly hand-to-hand combat, and reconnaissance behind enemy lines helped gain a critical victory in the Pacific theatre. Written by the son of their leader, Lieutenant “Ski”, this inspiring narrative was composed from years of research and face-to-face interviews with the surviving Thieves. Joseph Tachovsky is the author of 40 Thieves on Saipan and the son of the platoon's leader. Graduating with degrees in English Literature, Theater and Art History made him perfectly qualified for a life in the hospitality trade. Based in Minneapolis, his restaurant creations have earned reviews and mentions in Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, Esquire, The Rolling Stone, The New York Times and Jim Harrison's The Raw and The Cooked.    For more information see 40thievessaipan.com  Wait, there is more!!! Have a look at  www.mystepstosobriety.com  to see which other books and projects I am involved in!  And follow me on Instagram, Podcast, Facebook and Linkedin! https://stephanneff.podbean.com/ https://www.facebook.com/stepstosobriety/ https://www.instagram.com/stepstosobriety/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephan-neff-author/

On this episode, Michael Easter joins the show for an in-depth discussion regarding his literary masterpiece, "The Comfort Crisis".  Harvey, Brian, and the MSP crew have long believed in the power of doing hard things and "getting comfortable being uncomfortable", which makes this conversation a must-listen as they dive deep with Michael into the science and research from his book.  They discuss how modern living impacts the human body.  Specifically, Michael shares his approach of combining evolutionary wisdom with modern science.  This episode is PACKED with research that illuminates our generation's greatest challenge: The Comfort Crisis.  Simply put, Michael is a literary savage. Enjoy! ABOUT MICHAEL EASTER Michael is a celebrated best-selling author and leading voice in the human health space who travels the world surrounding himself with world thought-leaders.  Michael's work has appeared in over 60 countries, adopted by professional sports teams, endorsed by the CIA and Navy Seals, and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors.  His writings have been captured in Men's Health Magazine, Outside Magazine, Men's Journal, Cosmopolitan, Vice, Esquire, Scientific American, Women's Health, and others.  He is currently a professor in the journalism department at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  Michael lives with his wife and their two dogs, Stockton and Conway.   WHERE TO FIND MICHAEL EASTER Website: https://eastermichael.com Instagram: @michael_easter Twitter: @Michael_Easter

Why We Get Fat and How to Actually Lose Weight with Gary Taubes | This episode is brought to you by Vivobarefoot and InsideTracker.For decades we have been taught that fat is bad for us, and that the key to a healthy weight is eating less and exercising more. Yet despite this advice, we have seen unprecedented epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Today on The Dhru Purohit Podcast, Dhru talks to Gary Taubes, an award-winning science and health journalist, and co-founder and director of the Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI). He is the author of The Case Against Sugar, Why We Get Fat, Good Calories, Bad Calories, and, most recently, The Case for Keto. Gary is a former staff writer for Discover and correspondent for Science. He has written three cover articles on nutrition and health for The New York Times Magazine, and his writing has also appeared in The Atlantic, Esquire, and numerous "best of" anthologies, including The Best of the Best American Science Writing (2010). He has received three Science in Society Journalism Awards from the National Association of Science Writers, and is also the recipient of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Award in Health Policy Research. In this episode, we dive into: -The real cause of weight gain and obesity (7:53)-The missing piece when it comes to obesity research (8:55) -Why people who fatten easily can get fat eating exactly as lean healthy people do (14:39) -Why the obesity and diabetes epidemics continue to get worse (19:33) -The safety of a low-carb, high-fat diet (29:09)-Why obesity is not a calories in, calories out problem (42:44)-The carbohydrate-insulin model and obesity (47:26) -Foods that cause hormonal imbalances and cause our body to store excess fat (53:29)-Why carbohydrate abstinence needs to be approached the same way we approach other addictions (1:02:01)-The connection between insulin resistance and chronic disease (1:07:48) Also mentioned in this episode:-The Carbohydrate-Insulin Model: A Physiological Perspective on the Obesity Pandemic - https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ajcn/nqab270/6369073-How a ‘Fatally, Tragically Flawed' Paradigm has Derailed the Science of Obesity - https://www.statnews.com/2021/09/13/how-a-fatally-tragically-flawed-paradigm-has-derailed-the-science-of-obesity/-What If It's All Been A Big Fat Lie - https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html -The Doctor's Farmacy Podcast Episode #166 - Who Should Eat Keto and Why - https://drhyman.com/blog/2021/04/14/podcast-ep166/ -Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health by Gary Taubes - https://amzn.to/3CTeWXr For more on Gary you can follow him on Twitter @garytaubes, and through his website http://garytaubes.com/. Get his book The Case for Keto: Rethinking Weight Control and the Science and Practice of Low-Carb/High-Fat Eating, at https://amzn.to/3m2eAai.For more on Dhru Purohit, be sure to follow him on Instagram @dhrupurohit, on Facebook @dhruxpurohit, on Twitter @dhrupurohit, and on YouTube @dhrupurohit. You can also text Dhru at (302) 200-5643 or click here https://my.community.com/dhrupurohit.Sign up for Dhru's Try This Newsletter - https://dhrupurohit.com/newsletter.Interested in joining The Dhru Purohit Podcast Facebook Community? Submit your request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2819627591487473/.This episode is brought to you by Vivobarefoot and InsideTracker.Vivobarefoot footwear is designed to be wide, thin, and flexible, so you feel as close to barefoot as possible. They promote your foot's natural strength and movement and studies show that foot strength increases by 60% in a matter of months just by walking around in them. Right now they're offering my community 20% off their first order at vivobarefoot.com/DHRU.InsideTracker looks at everything from metabolic and inflammatory markers to nutrients and hormones. It even tests your cortisol levels to help you better manage stress and you have the option to see how your inner age compares to your chronological age. Traditional lab tests can be hard to read on your own, but InsideTracker makes their results easy to understand and even provides tips on how to use food first for optimal nutrition. Right now, they're offering my podcast community 25% off. Just go to insidetracker.com/DHRU. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Extreme inequality of wealth and income has been identified as a societal failure and a threat to democracy all over the world. Is competition law the cause or the cure for that inequality? In this episode, we talk with Professor Eleanor Fox of New York University School of Law about her research into the deep connections between wealth and income inequality and competition law in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. Listen to this episode to learn about these connections and the case for including an "equality value" in antitrust analysis. Related Links: Abstract: Antitrust and Inequality: The History of (In)equality in Competition Law and Its Guide to the Future, by Eleanor M. Fox and Philipp Bazenov W.L. Esquire (1977), a novel by Eleanor M. Fox Hosted by: Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC and John Roberti, Allen & Overy LLP

The Power of Interacting and Connecting with People with Joe Keohane From a young age, our elders teach us to distrust people we don't know. One of the most popular children's stories revolves around this idea. Little Red Riding Hood goes out to her grandma. She talks to a stranger in the form of a sly fox. She arrives at her grandma's house only to find out she's been tricked. The moral of the story is singular—strangers have wicked intentions, so you have to be wary of them. But is there credence to this?  In today's episode, we're joined by Joe Keohane, a journalist, parallel parker, and a firm believer of the goodness in humanity and strangers. He debunks the stranger danger propaganda and explains the benefits of connecting with people . Cooperation and connection are part of our nature, and also our secret to success. Joe teaches us to overcome our fear of talking to strangers and how to have more meaningful interactions with them. Tune in to the full episode to tap into the power of connecting with strangers for self-expansion! Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode: Discover the benefits of engaging and connecting with people. Understand, on a deeper level, your fear of talking to others. Gain some inspiration and insights into how you can connect with strangers comfortably. Resources Connect with Joe: Twitter | LinkedIn Joe's book, The Power of Strangers Theory of Self-Expansion Mistakenly Seeking Solitude, a report on connecting with strangers conducted by Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder University of Essex social psychologist Gillian Sandstrom Duke evolutionary psychologist Michael Tomasello University of Michigan psychologist Oscar Ybarra Braver Angels organization Create a daily meditation ritual in just seven days! Download BUILD YOUR DAILY MEDITATION RITUAL and other freebies from the Radically Loved website! FREE Action Guide! Apply the lessons you learn from this episode as you listen! Sign up at com, and I'll send it right away! Episode Highlights Behind Joe's Book and the Current Social Climate Joe's parents like talking to strangers. Now, even in their 70s, they still make new friends. He found this trait interesting. Although he is not as confident as his parents, he went into journalism, which involves a lot of talking to strangers as well. After having a moving conversation with a cab driver, Joe realized he hasn't been connecting with people as much as he did. Joe thinks two factors contribute to this decrease in engagement with others: stress from work and the advent of smartphones. Wanting to know more, Joe spent a few years researching how we connect with people. This was the genesis of his book. The Effects of Connecting with People Connecting with people is akin to self-expansion. When you talk to someone and have a profound connection with them, you can gain new perspectives on the world. Talking to someone different from you can also help you expand your viewpoints and reconsider your opinions about their race or country. These connections challenge preconceived ideas of the world and the people in it, which in turn alleviates prejudice and political polarization. The Fear of Talking to Strangers As a child, Joe was bombarded with stranger danger propaganda. Research shows that this belief eroded an entire generation's trust in other people. However, the claim that strangers pose a mortal threat is statistically baseless. In reality, more crimes are committed by people already close to the victim. Things like inequality, gender, race, and political orientation can make it harder to initiate connecting with people. People fear interacting with strangers because they don't know how to do it. Listen to the full episode to hear more about the research behind this anxiety! But once you begin conversing with others, it tends to go much better than you expect. Flipping the Scripts When asked how we're doing, we usually respond to others' questions by rote. These answers are called scripts. Joe challenged himself to break these scripts when he interacts with others. To his surprise, this led to more meaningful interactions, however short. Connecting with people this way can make us feel more optimistic and trusting. We tend to overestimate the rejection we will experience when starting conversations with strangers. Tune in to the episode to find out about the research on the topic! Interactions In-Person vs. On Social Media Social media allows you to be anonymous. You can also plan what you'll say ahead of replying. Meanwhile, talking to people in person is more cognitively challenging. However, you get mentally stronger as you start connecting with people more. In addition, it is our nature to communicate and collaborate with others. It is a trait that set us apart from other mammals and allowed us to form civilizations. Dangers of Disconnecting from People Lack of interaction and connection is poison to society. The polarization that it causes further leads to entrenchment and dehumanization of other people and groups. Online, it's much easier to dismiss people based on their opinions. Whereas in person, we are driven to seek commonality with others. You can have a conversation with people with opposing views. You just have to go out there seeking to understand. Media platforms give us a negative perception of other people. By going out into the world and connecting with others, you can correct this pessimism. Connecting with People in the Current Political Climate Joe recently spent time with an organization that helps Democrats and Republicans connect with each other. Being from Boston and living in New York, Joe identifies as a moderate liberal. His research and experiences made him less dismissive of people from the other side. He's hopeful that while it will take time, we can achieve political rebuilding. If you hear something you don't like, don't be quick to dismiss or respond contemptuously. Instead, pause for a second and try to understand the other view. The Problem with Today's Society Humans are hypersocial creatures. Cooperation is in our basic human nature and the secret to success. But due to various factors, we have become smaller and angrier beings. Now that we're not fulfilling our social needs, rates of depression and loneliness are skyrocketing. To combat this, we need to try interacting and connecting with people. How Joe Feels Radically Loved Joe's 5-year old recently described her love for him as something that makes her heart explode. That's what makes Joe radically loved. 5 Powerful Quotes [12:28] “The main fear that people had was just a fear that they didn't know how to [interact with others].” [16:31] “There's a raft of benefits to even having like kind of high-quality small talk with somebody. You just have to actually do it.” [21:07] “It comes pretty natural to people once they do it. Once they get past the anxiety and once they work those muscles a little bit, it becomes second nature. [31:01] “Instead of being reactive, act more wisely.” [33:38] “We're wired for connection. That's the secret to the success of the species.” About Joe Joe Keohane is a veteran journalist who's held high-level positions in publications like Esquire, The New Yorker, Wired, and Boston Magazine. He has also contributed to writing several textbooks and a screenplay. His life revolves around talking to people he barely knows and reporting facts and data. Fueled by curiosity, he decided to intensively research connecting with people and their value for self-expansion. This work resulted in his book, The Power of Strangers. You can learn more about Joe on his website or connect with him through Twitter and LinkedIn.   This episode brought to you by  LinkedIn LinkedIN Join us for the LinkedIn Accelerator Program www.linkedin.com/creators      This episode brought to you by    MyFitnessPal    MyFitnessPal Get a one month premium subscription today! loved.myfitnesspal.com use the code: loved    Enjoy the Podcast? If you felt radically loved from listening to this podcast, subscribe and share it with the people you love! Love to give us 5 stars? If you do, we'd love a review from you. Help us reach more people and make them feel loved. Do you want to help others reap the benefits of connecting with people? A simple way is to share what you've learned today on social media. Don't forget to follow and message us on these platforms! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosieacosta/ Twitter: https::twitter.com/rosieacosta Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/radicallylovedrosie TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsrosieacosta To feeling radically loved, Rosie

The King of Stuff welcomes Walter Kirn, the author of Blood Will Out, Up in the Air, and Thumbsucker (the last two have been made into feature films). He has also written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The New Republic, GQ, New York, and Esquire, […]

The King of Stuff welcomes Walter Kirn, the author of Blood Will Out, Up in the Air, and Thumbsucker (the last two have been made into feature films). He has also written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The New Republic, GQ, New York, and Esquire, and many other publications. This year, he launched a Substack and continues to curate one of Twitter’s best feeds. Subscribe to the King of Stuff Spotify playlist featuring picks from the show. This week, Jon chooses “The Trilogy” by SUUNS.

In conversation with Meg Wolitzer An ''American literary treasure'' (The Boston Globe), Hilma Wolitzer is the author of the novels In the Flesh, The Doctor's Daughter, and Ending, which served as the inspiration for Bob Fosse's celebrated film All That Jazz. Her other work includes four children's books, a nonfiction account of fiction workshops, two screenplay adaptations of her novels, and stories and reviews published in Esquire, The New York Times, and Ploughshares, among other periodicals. The recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, she has taught writing at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Columbia University, and New York University. Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket is a career-spanning collection of Wolitzer's short stories, including the title story, which was her first published work, that catapulted her from suburban homemaker to ''poet of domestic detail'' (Ms.). Hilma Wolitzer's daughter, bestselling novelist Meg Wolitzer, is the author of 14 novels, including The Wife, The Position, and The Female Persuasion. She has taught writing at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Princeton University, and Skidmore College. Her work has been adapted into three feature films.  (recorded 9/29/2021)

Connie Zweig, Ph.D., is a retired psychotherapist, former executive editor at Jeremy P. Tarcher Publishing, former columnist for Esquire magazine, and contributor to the LA Times. Known as the Shadow Expert, she is the coauthor of Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow and author of Meeting the Shadow of Spirituality and a novel, A Moth to the Flame: The Life of Sufi Poet Rumi. She lives in California. Sign up for 10% off of Shrink Rap Radio CE credits at the Zur Institute

Começamos o episódio 64 (e aqui 64 não tem golpe!) falando sobre a briga entre bancos e fintechs. Pela primeira vez, a Febraban foi pro embate, saindo do silêncio diplomático comum às instituições financeiras. Como será que vai se desenrolar essa história? Deste tema pulamos pra invasão da B3 pelo MTST. Vamos ter um Occupy? E aí, mudando de assunto, conversamos sobre vaidade. É sempre ruim ser vaidoso? A pergunta do ouvinte é sobre volto nulo. No quadro Super ou Sub-estimado: fake news; carne bem passada; mãe de pet. Como sempre, finalizamos com as dicas culturais, que estão descritas abaixo.Para ver:- Sex Education, no Netflix;- The White Lotus, no HBO.Para ler:- Essa Gente, de Chico Buarque;- Reportagem na Esquire: https://emprc.us/ytVMCt- Cartas da Dynamo: https://emprc.us/XKMFmNPara irExpresso das frutas: passeio de trem entre Valinhos e Louveira: https://emprc.us/jdRGfJ

The future of mobility and "living rooms on wheels," plus: we ponder whether e-Readers are still relevant and discuss what to wear to the office these days.Episode Navigation:04:20 – Dalal Elsheik on Autonomous Vehicle UX and the Automotive Industry35:03 – Are e-Readers Still Relevant?42:50 – Lululemon Survey Indicates People Hope to Wear Comfy Clothes to the OfficeFeatured and Related:A Ford Engineer Reveals 10 Things You Need to Know About Self-Driving Cars – Gear PatrolSelf-Driving Cars? They're Still Not Here Yet – Gear PatrolAn Electric VW Bus Could Be Volkswagen's First Self-Driving Car – Gear PatrolSelf-Driving Cars FAQ: How Far Away Is Far Away? – Motor TrendOpinion: You will not be traveling in a self-driving car anytime soon. Here's what the future will look like – Market WatchThe Costly Pursuit of Self-Driving Cars Continues On. And On. And On. – NYTWhy we're still years away from having self-driving cars – VOX, RecodeElon Musk's problematic plan for “full self-driving” Teslas – Vox, RecodeU.S. Safety Official Calls on Tesla To Fix 'Basic Safety Issues' Before Expanding its Full Self-Driving Mode – HypebeastAmazon's new Kindle Paperwhite adds a bigger screen, longer battery life, and USB-C – The VergeYou can now preorder the new Kindle Paperwhite – The VergeAmazon Just Introduced Three New Kindle Paperwhites – WIREDIs it the end of the road for dedicated e-readers? – Good e-ReaderWhy Dedicated E-readers Are Still Popular – LifewireUnderstanding the E-Reader Global Supply Chain – Good e-ReaderEbooks Are an Abomination – The AtlanticFirst Look at the Hisense Touch Music Reader – Good e-ReaderOnyx Boox Mira and Mira Pro Now Available for Pre-Order – Good e-Readerlululemon global study shows how clothing impacts workplace performance, culture and experience in a new hybrid environment (Full Survey pdf) – LululemonComfort Still in Style, Lululemon Survey Says – WWD via AOL@bobby on twitter: "i have a question for people who wear cool outfits to work at home. what's your f**king problem"You're Finally Going Back to the Office. What Are You Going to Wear? – WSJRedux of ^ WSJ articleExcerpts from ^ WSJ article12 comfortable back-to-work clothes for your return to the office – TodayOur WFH-Meets-Office Fashion Ideas For These Weird Hybrid Times – Refinery29You can now wear what you want to work – Financial TimesHeading back to the office? Here's how to dress for it – GQ UKThe New Rules of Office Style (2018) – Esquire

In conversation with Andrew Ervin A ''genuine artist ... who can render the intricate dazzle of it all and at the same time plumb its philosophical implications'' (Esquire), Richard Powers won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Overstory, a tale of activism, the natural world, and people's connection to trees. His other novels include The Echo Maker, a story of the brain, mass migrations, and car accidents; Orfeo, the narrative of a falsely accused amateur scientist/composer; and Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance, in which a WWI-era photo sends the men on very different quests. Powers has earned the National Book Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, the Lannan Literary Award, and two Pushcart Prizes.  Bewilderment follows a widower astrobiologist dealing with both the mysteries of the cosmos and the troubles befalling his young son. Andrew Ervin is a writer and critic and author of Extraordinary Renditions, Burning Down George Orwell's House, and Bit by Bit: How Video Games Transformed Our World. He teaches part-time in the MFA program at Temple University and for the School of Interactive Games and Media at Rochester Institute of Technology. (recorded 9/22/2021)

Trevor Noah is a South African comedian, television host, writer, producer, political commentator, and actor. He is said to be the most successful comedian in Africa and currently the host of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning The Daily Show on Comedy Central. Noah's book Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood was a #1 New York Times Bestseller and was named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, Newsday, Esquire, NPR, and Booklist. 5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling. Have Erik speak at your conference: eq@equalman.com Motivational Speaker | Erik QualmanErik Qualman has inspired audiences at FedEx, Chase, ADP, Huawei, Starbucks, Godiva, FBI, Google, and many more on Digital Leadership. Learn more at https://equalman.com

Hello, Indie Creatives! In this episode, we have a conversation with the Co-Founder of XM Radio and Media Innovator and Legend, Lee Abrams. We discuss why he created the Album-Oriented Rock format for radio, the concept of making people into fans, not users, his latest innovation  'News Movies,' his forthcoming book 'Solutions for a Creatively Starved Planet,' his forthcoming documentary, 'Sonic Messengers,' the meaning of "AFDI," and so much more. Enjoy! Listen+Subscribe+Rate = Love Questions or Comments? Reach out to us at contact@bonsai.film or on social and the web at https://linktr.ee/BonsaiCreative Love Indie Film? Love the MAKE IT Podcast? Become a True Fan! www.bonsai.film/truefans www.makeit.libsyn.com/podcast #MAKEIT  More About Lee Abrams http://www.leeabramsmediavisions.com Lee Abrams, with decades in the trenches reinventing radio, tv news, and print.  Passionate about the past but focused on reimagining the future. Consultant to over 1,000 radio stations,  12 major print publications, and numerous tv stations and cable networks,  several consumer products, and the designer of XM satellite radio programming.   In the early 21st Century, Abrams was The Tribune Company's Chief Innovation Officer responsible for helping re-invent the scores of TV stations, cable channels, and newspapers that are owned by Tribune,  as well as to help create a new and modern innovation-focused culture. While at Tribune,  Abrams re-structured and energized the creative departments for the TV and TV Newsgroup, led and oversaw the redesigning and restructuring of newspapers including The Chicago Tribune,  The Baltimore Sun, and The Orlando Sentinel, helping to return them to profitability during a period of crisis in print. For 10 years before joining Tribune, Abrams was  XM Satellite Radio's, Chief Programming Officer.  Abrams joined XM as their first employee in June 1998 to create satellite radio.  Designing the programming,  hiring,  overseeing, and training a large staff with the mandate to re-invent the sound of radio. With 150 stations to develop and program, once again challenged Abrams to reinvigorate the radio landscape. Lee Abrams has been shaping the American radio and media industry for over five decades. During the past 50+ years, he has brought unparalleled ratings and economic success to radio stations in over 400 markets, including 97 of the top 100.  Newsweek listed Abrams as one of America's “100 Cultural Elite” for his contributions to creating the modern radio. Radio Ink listed Abrams as one of the 75 most important radio figures of all time, having designed many if not most of the dominant radio formats. In 1989, Abrams joined Satellite Music Network  (Acquired by Disney) as  Managing Director and oversaw the over 11 satellite-delivered formats delivered to over 1,000 stations and was instrumental in the creation and launch of Radio Disney.  As a founding partner,  in 1973, of Burkhart/Abrams, the Atlanta-based media consulting giant, Abrams invented and built Album Rock, the first successful FM format. He also designed numerous other highly successful radio formats, including the first Classic Rock format at San Francisco's KFOG; the first FM Urban/Dance format at New York's WKTU,  among others.  His corporate clients have included every major broadcast group. Musically, Abrams produced the Grammy-winning CD “Ah Via Musicom” by Eric Johnson—the highest-selling rock instrumental album ever has appeared on several Alan Parsons Project CDs and worked with major labels and recording artists as a consultant executive producer, and label head. Among his clients have been music industry pioneers, such as The Moody Blues, Yes, Asia, Iron Maiden, Bob Seger, Island Records, and Capitol Records.  Abrams' other media projects have included the redesign of Rolling Stone magazine, the launch of TNT Cable Network,  MTV, American marketing consultant to Swatch, Disney and advisor to dozens of entertainment companies. In addition, Abrams has been the subject of feature articles in hundreds of consumer publications, including Playboy, Esquire, New York Times, People, The Los Angeles Times, The BBC, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, appeared as a guest on “The Apprentice” series with Donald Trump and is a frequent speaker at Universities and Industry functions. While at XM, Abrams was responsible for creating programming by signing and developing programming by timeless icons such as Bob Dylan, Quincy Jones, BB King, Wynton Marsalis, Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, Tom Petty and others into the XM fold to create passionate original programming. Abrams's next mission is the culmination of years in the trenches—learning the good, bad…and ugly.  An opportunity to aggressively re-imagine and execute a years-in-the-making plan that will define creative programming and fan creation in this new century,” says Abrams in a recent interview. Abrams resides in Chicago and is a 9,000-hour Commercial and Instrument rated pilot,  musician and is currently writing “Solutions for a Creatively Starved Planet” (working title) to be published in 2021.   Links: Website Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Future of News   The Big Lebowski (film) Star Trek: The Original Series Doctor Strangelove… (film) Eyes Wide Shut (film) Family Guy (tv series) 1000 True Fans (article) Black Monday (tv series)  

Are you someone that is busy, looking to get it all done, but you want to feel better in the process? If that's you, today's episode is for you.I sat down with Tara Stiles. Tara is a wellness expert, bestselling author, and the founder of Strala Yoga which is a combination of yoga, tai chi, and Traditional Chinese and Japanese Medicine. Tara's bestselling books have been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, Esquire, and Shape. Tara's work has been used in a case study by Harvard University, she is a sought-after speaker on topics of entrepreneurship, health, and wellbeing, and she has lectured at venues that include Harvard and New York University. Tara works with The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an initiative with the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation that combats childhood obesity. Today, we sat down to talk Her newest book, Clean Mind, Clean Body: A 28 Day Plan for Physical, Mental and Spiritual Self-Care.MY 5 BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODETake a screenshot of you listening to the episode and share your takeaway with me and our community on Instagram. Tag @onandoffyourmatpodcast and #onandoffyourmatpodcast in your story of post. I can't wait to read and share them.1. Tai Chi principles can inspire the way you move in yoga. It teaches you softness. Softness is the quality that makes anything possible. You can do move if you're not rigid. Let the breath begins, the body follows.2. physical mobility links to the emotional connection; it allows you to see how everything is in conversation with everything else.3. Spiritual self-care is any practice that helps you reinforce positive beliefs about yourself and continue to grow into a better person.4. Focus on feeling-based goals instead of achievement-based goals. Notice how you feel and make changes based on how you want to feel.5. When you listen to yourself and get sensitized to your signals, you learn to connect what feels good to what is truly supportive for you. Get to know how good it feels to be good to yourself.SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW! BECOME A PREMIUM MEMBER TODAYIf you haven't already done so, please subscribe, rate and review this podcast anywhere you listen. Find out how here.We recently transitioned our Premium Membership to this new platform: www.withribbon.com/u/erikabelanger. As a member, you can get a ton of exclusive audio and video content. We added a new library of almost 200 recorded full-length yoga classes in a Netflix-Style Membership. Finally, you can sign up for any live-stream class I offer! Everything yoga-class-related is now in the same place! If you're new to With Ribbon, here's a walkthrough video I recorded to help you find your way around.Know that as you become a Premium Member, your contribution ripples to thousands of people every week, allowing me to offer accessible quality free content to a wide community of yogis. This podcast is one of the away I contribute to the community, and this membership is a way you can too. It allows you to share everything yoga offers with the world by supporting me in the creation and production of this podcast while I choose to keep it ad-free. RETREAT / GO FUND MEI'll be leading an Eco-Luxury Yoga Retreat in Mexico, in November 2021. I heard you, you've been craving to immerse yourself in yoga, nature, and community again so you can feel renewed and re-enliven. Many of us are suffering from zoom fatigue. So I'm offering you to hit the beach and the reset button so you can let go of this last year. You'll find all the info for that retreat at erikabelanger.com/yoga-retreat-mexico.In parallel, I have launched a Go-Fund-Me campaign. I know yoga retreats are an investment and I know how hard the last year has been. Yoga retreats were in my personal growth, so I wanted to give back. I'm raising money while investing alongside the community to make the experience of a yoga retreat available to students who wouldn't be able to participate otherwise. If you're able to donate anything you could transform someone's life. And if you're in need you can apply for the scholarship. And either way, I'd love for you to share it with the people you love and on social media. That's a simple way you can directly impact others' lives in a positive way. Find the Go-Fund-Me Campaign here.QUESTIONS SHE ANSWERED DURING THIS EPISODE:Why did you write a detox / self-care book? Did something in your own life prompted you to write this book or did you see a need around you?how did you choose the practices in the book?Can you explain the qualities of tai chi that we could bring in any movement practice we do and in our lives in general?Why did you consciously start with the mind and spirit before addressing the body?What does it mean to clean our minds?Can you give examples of practices to clean our minds or keep them clean?How do we move from a clean mind to spiritual self-care?How do we take care of our bodies with food while staying truly connected to what we need?What is the role of mindset in exercise and movement? How could we approach yoga differently?MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTTara Stiles is a wellness expert, bestselling author, and the founder of Strala Yoga. The Strala approach combines yoga, tai chi, and Traditional Chinese and Japanese Medicine to help people release stress, heal, let go of negative habits, and move more easily through everyday challenges. Tara's bestselling books, which have been translated and published in multiple languages, include Strala Yoga, Make Your Own Rules Diet, Yoga Cures, and Slim Calm Sexy Yoga, and she has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, Esquire, and Shape. Tara's work has been used in a case study by Harvard University, she is a sought-after speaker on topics of entrepreneurship, health, and wellbeing, and she has lectured at venues that include Harvard and New York University. Tara works with The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an initiative with the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation that combats childhood obesity, in order to bring Strala classes to more than 30,000 schools around the United States. She also supports the BOKS program, which delivers Strala classes and wellbeing resources to educators across North America. Her newest book, Clean Mind, Clean Body: A 28 Day Plan for Physical, Mental and Spiritual Self-Care(Dey Street Books), was released December 2020. Strala Home: https://stralahome.com/Link to her book: https://www.tarastiles.com/booSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/5a5fdec3a4d96aa520f89227. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The new Sally Rooney novel is here!  Anna and Annie discuss the publishing event and enormous success of the release of Rooney's third book. Beautiful World, Where Are You is a novel about four friends, examining their relationships and touching on world issues.  Perfect for book clubs, there is so much to discuss.  Praised for its 'touching honesty' (Financial Times) and 'originality' (Esquire) this was Watersones' 2021 best-selling fiction title after only three days on the shelves. Coming up: Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead. Follow us! Facebook: Books On The Go Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

Als man am 30. Juli des Jahres 1843 im Keller einer Farm bei Toronto, Kanada, auf die Leichen des ermordeten Hausherren Thomas Kinnear und seiner Haushälterin Nancy Montgomery stößt, stehen die Tatverdächtigen schnell fest. Der Stallbursche James McDermott und die Magd Grace Marks sind samt einem Wagen voller Diebesgut auf der Flucht, werden gefasst und verurteilt. Eigentlich ein klarer Fall. Bis man versucht die Details der Tat zu verstehen… Hört in dieser Folge von “Früher war mehr Verbrechen”, warum diese Geschichte nicht nur die Inspiration zu Margret Atwoods Roman „Alias Grace“ werden sollte, sondern uns auch heute noch vor die Frage stellt: Warum fällt es uns so schwer, Grace Marks zu verurteilen? **// Kapitel //** - 07:23 – Ein Mord wird entdeckt - 17:18 – Die Verdächtigen - 22:44 – Eine kurze Flucht - 25:05 – James und Grace sagen aus - 41:55 – Der Fall erlangt Berühmtheit - 48:08 – Zwei Verhandlungen, zwei Todesurteile und viele Fragen - 56:35 – Das Ende von James McDermott - 59:20 – Graces neues Leben im Zuchthaus - 1:03:59 – Warum fasziniert dieser Fall die Menschen? - 1:14:39 – Wie alles endet und die Legende beginnt - 1:16:06 – Besprechung des Falles **// Folgt uns auf Instagram //** https://www.instagram.com/frueher.war.mehr.verbrechen/?hl=de **// Karte mit allen „Früher war mehr Verbrechen“-Tatorten //** https://bit.ly/2FFyWF6 **// Mail //**: mailto:frueherwarmehrverbrechen@outlook.de **// Kaffeekasse //**: https://ko-fi.com/fwmvpodcast GEMAfreie Musik von https://audiohub.de **// Quellen & Shownotes //** - Moodie, S.; LIFE IN THE CLEARINGS VERSUS THE BUSH, New York 1854 - Walton, G.; THE TRIALS OF JAMES MCDERMOTT AND GRACE MARKS, Toronto 1843, The trials of James McDermott and Grace Marks at Toronto, Upper Canada, November 3rd and 4th 1843 [microform] : for the murder of Thomas Kinnear, Esquire and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery, at Richmond Hill, township of Vaughan, home district, Upper Canada, on Saturday, 29th July, 1843 : with their confessions since their trials and their portraits : McDermott, James, 1823-1843 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive - Banbury, A. J.; The Trial and Testimony of Grace Marks, Murderess: Gender Performance in a Colonial Courtroom, Upper Canada 1843, In: Mount Royal Undergraduate Humanities Review (MRUHR) 1(1), 2013, (PDF) The Trial of Grace Marks (researchgate.net) - The Canadian Encyclopedia, Grace Marks, Artikel vom 25. Januar 2021, Grace Marks | The Canadian Encyclopedia - Smithsonian Magazine, The Mysterious Murder Case That Inspired Margaret Atwood's ‚Alias Grace‘, Artikel vom 1. November 2017, The True Story Behind ‘Alias Grace' | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian Magazine

Wednesday's podcast with Doug Norrie from Locked On Nets offered a lot of clarity regarding new Lakers center DeAndre Jordan, and what he still brings to the table, even while no longer in peak form. He's an imperfect player, and those flaws ultimately made him untenable for the style of the Brooklyn Nets, his former team. But for the Lakers' style, he might be just fine. Not incredible, not terrible, but fine. For Brian Kamenetzky, this was reassuring as someone who was pretty down on the acquisition. For Andy Kamenetzky, it was a reminder that deep stats and analytics are definitely useful, but also potentially misleading without context. Plus, the Lakers are working out Kenneth Faried? Really? Like... really? The Kamenetzkys also discussed a bonus segment with Norrie about the Nets' mega-offense, and how they'll look to smother opponents in points. Is it a coincidence that the Lakers, expected by most to face Brooklyn in the Finals, loaded up on offensive talent this summer? Or was it merely indicative of a pre-existing need to juice the offense, regardless of Brooklyn's firepower? Or a bit of both? And finally, Carmelo Anthony has been making the rounds promoting his new book, Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised: A Memoir of Survival and Hope. Among the many interesting thoughts shared during an interview in Esquire, Melo explained why, despite a close friendship with Kobe Bryant, teaming up in 2014 wouldn't have worked. Beyond the Lakers being Kobe's franchise, Los Angeles were "his city." That's just not an ideal setting for another superstar, much less one in his prime. It speaks to why the Kamenetzkys have said for years (and in the moment) that finding a superstar to play alongside Kobe was such a complicated venture. Hosts: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: Thoughts on Norrie's better-than-expected scouting report on DeAndre Jordan. SEGMENT 2: Did the Lakers revamp their roster with Brooklyn specifically in mind? SEGMENT 3: Melo talks Kobe and the Lakers, circa 2014. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! SweatBlock Get it today for 20% off at SweatBlock.com with promo code LockedOn, or at Amazon and CVS. Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15” and you'll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline AG There is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus. Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WATCH THIS NOW HIGHLIGHTS:- What is the spirit of aging?- Getting older and breaking through #denial- Age and your value- #Conscious and positive aging- #Online opportunities for #eldersThis episode is about The Inner Work of Age. My guest is Connie Zweig, Ph.D., who is a retired therapist, and has contributed articles to Esquire magazine and the Los Angeles Times and holds a doctorate in Depth Psychology. Connie is the co-author of Meeting the Shadow and Romancing the Shadow, author of Meeting the Shadow of Spirituality and a novel, A Moth to the Flame: The Life of Sufi Poet Rumi. Her latest book is, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, which extends shadow-work into late life and teaches aging as a spiritual practice. Connie has been doing contemplative practices for 50 years. She is a wife and grandmother and was initiated as an Elder by Sage-ing International in 2017. After investing in all these roles, she is practicing the shift from role to soul. To learn more: https://conniezweig.com/DARE TO MAKE YOUR DREAMS A REALITY. Debbi Dachinger puts the ‘inspiration‘ back into podcasts in an award-winning show that is your #1 transformation conversation.Award-winning "Dare to Dream" podcast, enjoyed by listeners for 14 years with host, Debbi Dachinger, offers strong conversation on metaphysics, quantum creating, law of attraction, healing, and extraterrestrials. Dare to do great things. Dare to shine by living a daring life! This cutting-edge program offers weekly fresh interviews. Subscribe! Leave a review; we read and appreciate them all! Join me on Instagram: @daretodreampodcast and @debbidachingerDebbi Dachinger is a certified coach whose expertise is Visibility in Media. She coaches people to write a page turner book, and takes their book to a guaranteed international bestseller. Join the expert online book writing experience: https://debbidachinger.com/visiblevisionaries#ConnieZweig #Shadow #Jungian #podcast #DebbiDachinger #Aging #GrowingOld #DareToDream #meditation #therapist #spiritual #ageism #elderly #ancient #geriatric #HealthyLifestyle #Sage #Elder #psychology #Sufi#podcast #DebbiDachinger #DareToDream #Instagood #instalove #instawork #instapeople #instatime #health #quantum #Book #spiritual #consciousness #metaphysical #et #transformation #meditate #medicine #ceremony #alien #love #beautiful #happy #tbt #followme #nofilter #life #yoga #amazing #FBF #media #podcaster #apple #paranormal #listeningThe show is sponsored by DrDainHeer.com and Access Consciousness

| Are You Gonna Leave Me  | 02:08  | Jesse James | Two Steps Back  | 05:00  | David Scott | Let's Play  | 04:06  | Will Preston | This Place Ain't Getting No Better  | 03:02  | McKinnley Mitchell | So Good  | 05:17  | Kevin Toney | I Think I'm Over You  | 05:01  | Mini Curry | A Fool For You  | 03:21  | The Ledgends | Tomorrow Can Wait  | 03:25  | After 7 | Rock With Me  | 03:37  | Charlene Elizabeth | Love Is For Keeps  | 04:35  | Redd Hott | You For Me  | 04:02  | Redd Hott | Here I Am  | 04:04  | Esquire | Did He Make Love To You  | 03:39  | Johnnie Taylor | Never Too Late  | 03:44  | The Whispers | Wake Up Sunshine  | 04:30  | Raelle | Preacher  | 03:21  | Smoke D presents Live' | I Ain't No Side Piece Lover  | 04:25  | J'Cenae | Lost You (Clean Version)  | 02:58  | Snoh Aalegra | Show Me Your Heart  | 04:12  | Spinners | Poor Loser  | 04:03  | Manila Machine | Why Then  | 03:36  | The Truths Inc. | My Baby  | 03:58  | Antonio McLendon | Cry Together  | 03:39  | The Intruders Review | You Who Brought Me Love  | 03:59  | Roberta Flack | Send My Baby Back  | 03:10  | Freddie Hughes | Simple Man (Radio Edit)  | 03:34  | Saint Jaimz feat. Popz | My Baby  | 03:12  | Limitations | Lovely Little Lassie  | 03:12  | Masters Of Soul | I'm A Loner (Remastered Version)  | 03:55  | The Nu-Rons | It's Forever (LP Version)  | 07:18  | The Ebonys

A new book chronicles the long process of rebuilding the World Trade Center from the rubble of 9/11. Journalist Scott Raab, who followed the story for Esquire, and the official World Trade Center photographer Joe Woolhead join us to discuss their new book, Once More to the Sky: the Rebuilding of the World Trade Center.

Sha'Carri Richardson thought she was going to the Olympic this summer after winning the 100m sprint.  But when she tested positive for THC after the race, she was disqualified. Like Richardson, several elite athletes have made headlines recently, while the use of marajuana has pretty much been an open secret among the best of the best. But why?  What is the science behind this controversial plant?  What researchers are starting to learn is that the natural runner's high that we feel when we go for a run is directly related to the one you get from THC and NOT from endorphins like so many believe. Now there's a whole lot more to this topic than getting stoned and going for a run, I promise you, and today I'm going to talk to the investigative journalist who literally wrote the book on it. Josiah Hesse's work has been featured in publications including Vice, The Guardian, Politico, and Esquire.  In his new book, RUNNER'S HIGH, Josiah takes us on a journey through the secret world of athletes who experience astounding, cannabis-inspired physical and mental transformations.  He explores the groundbreaking science of the runner's high, the economics of the $20 billion CBD market, and the fundamental racism and inequalities in the enforcement of marijuana prohibition. Regardless of what you feel personally or politically about marijuana, and how it relates to running, this is a stereotype-busting deep dive into a fascinating topic and I hope you'll join me for the trip. CONNECT, COMMENT, & COMMUNITY:   Leave a review on Apple Podcasts!  A great FREE way to support the show! Email Coach Claire Follow Claire on Instagram Follow RunnersConnect on Instagram Join the Elite Treatment where you get first dibs on everything RTTT each month! Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community  RunnersConnect Facebook page   GET EXPERT COACHING AT RUNNERSCONNECT!    

Donna would like to change the tone and tenor of the show, but she's betraying us with another podcast. Would she recommend that other show? Not so fast.  Caddy's got a fresh perspective on COVID-19 and more specifically, the vaccine. Then we read through Tim McGraw's recent essay with Esquire magazine and talk about the tough battles he's fought with an aging career and struggles with addiction. And finally, UGA Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker is running for the United States Senate here in Georgia. We bring in PT to talk about campaigns and how Herschel will be seen by voters. Have thoughts on today's show? Reach out to Caddy. 7704646024.

Custom House is proud to publish ACROSS THE AIRLESS WILDS: The Lunar Rover and the Triumph of the Final Moon Landings by New York Times bestselling author Earl Swift. In this impeccably reported and beautifully written narrative, Swift rediscovers the unjustly overshadowed story of the final three Apollo missions, which deployed an extraordinary invention that pushed human exploration to unsurpassed limits. He draws on dozens of interviews and a year of in-depth research to serve up an enthralling blend of scientific insight, vibrant characters, and compelling storytelling. With this summer marking the 50th anniversary of Apollo 15 (July 25-August 7), it's the perfect time to revisit these achievements. And rovers are once again in the news as the Perseverance rover plays a starring role in the current Mars expeditions, which Swift contends are the legacy of the Apollo LRVs, still pushing the bounds of exploration and discovery fifty years later. Images of the Apollo 11 moon landing are indelibly etched into the American consciousness. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land and walk on the lunar surface, it was an astonishing triumph of both imagination and technology, which thrilled and inspired a world watching live on television. But according to Swift, the greatest achievements of our lunar adventure came later, on missions that are only dimly recalled today. In fact, Swift argues, the last three Apollo missions-distinguished by the use of the revolutionary lunar roving vehicle-built significantly on the first landings, taking mankind to its very furthest and farthest extremes. While Armstrong and Aldrin trod a sliver of flat lunar desert smaller than a football field, Apollos 15, 16, and 17 each commanded a mountainous area the size of Manhattan. Though now footnotes in history, they were truly the pinnacle of human exploration. Swift's last book, the widely acclaimed Chesapeake Requiem (2018), brilliantly illuminated the global stakes of climate change through the prism of the tiny, disappearing island of Tangier, VA, and was named a best book of the year by the Washington Post, NPR, Outside, Science Friday, Smithsonian, and more. It was praised as "a masterful narrative of place, people, and nature" (Christian Science Monitor), "a provocative and respectful study of a culture that may soon be lost" (Esquire), and "intimate, meticulously reported and captivating" (Washington Post). Now, Swift brings to life another remarkable community-the engineers and astronauts who designed and operated the Lunar Roving Vehicle. In this fast-moving exploration, Swift puts the reader alongside the men who dreamed of the rover, designed it, troubleshot its flaws, and drove it on the lunar surface.

THANKS FOR LISTENING GO SUPER SAIYAN! - Patreon.com/professorshred Email us cityofpalmspodcast@gmail.com ANCHOR PODCASTS FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM SPOTIFY APPLE PODCASTS - @prof.shred - @kinglombardo47 INTRO/OUTRO BEATS BY BISCUIT --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cityofpalmspodcast/support

Custom House is proud to publish ACROSS THE AIRLESS WILDS: The Lunar Rover and the Triumph of the Final Moon Landings by New York Times bestselling author Earl Swift. In this impeccably reported and beautifully written narrative, Swift rediscovers the unjustly overshadowed story of the final three Apollo missions, which deployed an extraordinary invention that pushed human exploration to unsurpassed limits. He draws on dozens of interviews and a year of in-depth research to serve up an enthralling blend of scientific insight, vibrant characters, and compelling storytelling. With this summer marking the 50th anniversary of Apollo 15 (July 25-August 7), it's the perfect time to revisit these achievements. And rovers are once again in the news as the Perseverance rover plays a starring role in the current Mars expeditions, which Swift contends are the legacy of the Apollo LRVs, still pushing the bounds of exploration and discovery fifty years later. Images of the Apollo 11 moon landing are indelibly etched into the American consciousness. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land and walk on the lunar surface, it was an astonishing triumph of both imagination and technology, which thrilled and inspired a world watching live on television. But according to Swift, the greatest achievements of our lunar adventure came later, on missions that are only dimly recalled today. In fact, Swift argues, the last three Apollo missions-distinguished by the use of the revolutionary lunar roving vehicle-built significantly on the first landings, taking mankind to its very furthest and farthest extremes. While Armstrong and Aldrin trod a sliver of flat lunar desert smaller than a football field, Apollos 15, 16, and 17 each commanded a mountainous area the size of Manhattan. Though now footnotes in history, they were truly the pinnacle of human exploration. Swift's last book, the widely acclaimed Chesapeake Requiem (2018), brilliantly illuminated the global stakes of climate change through the prism of the tiny, disappearing island of Tangier, VA, and was named a best book of the year by the Washington Post, NPR, Outside, Science Friday, Smithsonian, and more. It was praised as "a masterful narrative of place, people, and nature" (Christian Science Monitor), "a provocative and respectful study of a culture that may soon be lost" (Esquire), and "intimate, meticulously reported and captivating" (Washington Post). Now, Swift brings to life another remarkable community-the engineers and astronauts who designed and operated the Lunar Roving Vehicle. In this fast-moving exploration, Swift puts the reader alongside the men who dreamed of the rover, designed it, troubleshot its flaws, and drove it on the lunar surface.

Twenty years have passed since 9/11. Writers Tom Junod and James B. Stewart stop by to remember and reflect on the events of that day. Bryan talks with Stewart to discuss his 2002 New Yorker piece, "The Real Heroes Are Dead," which follows Rick Rescorla—former soldier, officer, security specialist, and hero who helped save thousands of lives on 9/11—through his love story with his wife, Susan (0:53). Later, Tom Junod stops by to talk through his 2003 Esquire piece that focuses on the infamous picture of "The Falling Man." They discuss how the story came about, why finding the identity of the man in the photo was important, and how the story is received years later (27:40). "The Real Heroes Are Dead" https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/02/11/the-real-heroes-are-dead "The Falling Man" https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a48031/the-falling-man-tom-junod/ Host: Bryan Curtis Guests: James B. Stewart and Tom Junod Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One year ago today, Dr. Drew Hart's book- Who Will Be A Witness was released into the world. In honor and celebration of that moment, we are re-releasing this bonus episode with Shane Claiborne. "As a special bonus for our listeners, we have created a series to commemorate Inverse Podcast co-host Dr. Drew Hart's brand new book *Who Will Be a Witness: Igniting Activism For God's Justice, Love, and Deliverance.* In these additional episodes, we will interview friends and co-workers to discuss chapter by chapter Drew's new book. These conversations were recorded in community with friends from around the world as part of Inverse's ongoing work to create formation experiences that deepen our witness to God's justice, love, and deliverance. *Who Will Be a Witness* offers a vision for communities of faith to organize for deliverance and justice in their neighborhoods, states, and nation as an essential part of living out the call of Jesus. Drew provides incisive insights into Scripture and history, along with illuminating personal stories, to help us identify how the church's witness has become mangled by Christendom, white supremacy, and religious nationalism. He provides a wide range of options for congregations seeking to witness Jesus' ethic of love for and solidarity with the vulnerable. At a time when many feel disillusioned and distressed, Drew calls the church to action, offering a way forward that is deeply rooted in the life and witness of Jesus. Drew's testimony is powerful, personal, and profound, serving as a compass that points the church to the future and offers us a path toward meaningful social change and a more faithful witness to the way of Jesus. (Buy Drew's new book [here](http://https://www.amazon.com/Who-Will-Be-Witness-Deliverance/dp/1513806580/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=who+will+be+a+witness&qid=1599640684&s=books&sr=1-1).) This first conversation discusses the Introduction of Who Will Be a Witness with activist, author, and speaker Shane Claiborne. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living "as if Jesus meant the things he said." Shane is a champion for grace which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. Now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty and help stop gun violence. Shane’s books include Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Common Prayer, Follow Me to Freedom, Jesus, Bombs and Ice Cream, Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, Executing Grace, his classic The Irresistible Revolution, and his newest book, Beating Guns. He has been featured in a number of films, including "Another World Is Possible" and "Ordinary Radicals." His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Shane speaks over one hundred times a year, nationally and internationally. His work has appeared in Esquire, SPIN, Christianity Today, TIME, and The Wall Street Journal, and he has been on everything from Fox News and Al Jazeera to CNN and NPR. He’s given academic lectures at Harvard, Princeton, Liberty, Duke, and Notre Dame. Shane regularly speaks at denominational gatherings, festivals, and conferences around the globe. Follow Shane on [Twitter](http://https://twitter.com/ShaneClaiborne). Follow Drew Hart on [Instagram](http://http://instagram.com/druhart) and [Twitter](http://https://twitter.com/druhart) @druhart. Follow Jarrod McKenna on [Instagram](http://https://www.instagram.com/jarrodmckenna) and [Twitter](http://jarrodmckenna) @jarrodmckenna Song: *We Fly Free* by Julie Kerr

Show Notes:   In today's episode, we talk about: How dealing with pain and suffering shaped Mike's journey and contributed to his character development to make him who he is today.  Why crime, drugs, and violence in the projects can make everything daunting, but a person always has a choice to pursue being a criminal or a successful human being.  How everyone faces challenges, but what defines you is if you give up or go forward.  How your choices always have consequences, so if you have dreams do your best to make them happen.  Learn more about Mike here: Website: https://www.mikealden.com/ (https://www.mikealden.com/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeAlden2012 (https://www.facebook.com/MikeAlden2012) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikealden2012/ (https://www.instagram.com/mikealden2012/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikealden2012/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikealden2012/) Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeAlden2012 (https://twitter.com/MikeAlden2012) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGlKOruclG0qbhwQ20zAFHg (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGlKOruclG0qbhwQ20zAFHg) Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikealden2012 (https://www.tiktok.com/@mikealden2012)   For more information and to explore podcast episodes, visit themikecroc.com. To drop him an email, use: info@peoplebuildinginc.com   Follow Mike on social media:   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-ciorrocco/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikeciorrocco  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikeycroc  Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeycroc    If you haven't smashed the subscribe button, do it here➡️ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGWHuKojqZfcXmvGCAi_t1Q/   The views and opinions expressed on the "What Are You Made Of?" podcast are solely those of the author and guests and should not be attributed to any other individual or entity. This is an independent production of Mike "C-Roc" Ciorrocco. The podcast production and the book "What Are You Made Of?" are the author's original works. All rights of ownership and reproduction are retained—copyright 2021.

David Thomas is a world-renowned, well respected fashion stylist with over 30 years of experience in the fashion world. He is considered one of the original pioneers of celebrity styling and was recently included in The Hollywood Reporter's 2017 "5 of Hollywood's most in-demand men's stylists" list. In 1982 at the age of 16, David Thomas was living in his hometown of Gloucester, UK and dropped out of school at the advice of his career teacher. Upon that advice, David pursued a four-year plumbing apprenticeship. When he was a plumber, during his spare time David would devour glossy fashion magazines and newspaper gossip columns. Determined to fulfill his dreams, David left his plumbing job. Undaunted and unstoppable, in 1988 David applied for and received a grant from the Prince's Trust. To support himself, he worked weekends washing dishes in a café and evenings as a lavatory attendant in a West End nightclub while attempting to build his career by working as an assistant for free. That allowed him to get his foot in the right door. He began working as a freelance assistant to Isabella Blow and Ian R. Webb; eventually landing his dream job as an assistant to Judy Blame, stylist and jewelry designer.By 1990, David was himself styling. In 1991, at the age of 25, David became the youngest fashion editor in the world for British Esquire Magazine and subsequently at 26, the youngest fashion editor in the US as contributing fashion editor of Esquire Gentleman. During the time at Esquire, the magazine had a policy of ‘no models'. David developed an alternative approach to filling the fashion pages and promoting fashion by using musicians, actors, artists and writers. In addition, David later worked as contributing fashion editor at Vogue Homme, L'Uomo Vogue, Vogue Hommes International and Interview as well as contributing to Vanity Fair and British GQ. Through the years of David's career, he has worked with various clients such as: Sting, Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson, Liza Minelli, Angelina Jolie, The Spice Girls, David and Victoria Beckham, Dita Von Teese, Usher, P.Diddy, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Meghan Trainor, Mariah Carey, Lana Del Rey, Matthew McConaughey, Henry Golding, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Casey Affleck, James Franco, Gerard Butler, Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, John Legend, Lionel Richie, Calvin Harris, Harry Connick Jr, David Guetta, Barry Manilow and more.  Tune in to the first part of this episode of Ritch In Life and listen to David and Ritch talk about being high school drop outs and pursuing careers in the fashion, talk about trends and tailoring and a little celebrity gossip.  You can follow David  @davethomasstyle and @shopdavidthomasx to find out more.

Vanishing Postcards host and storyteller Evan Stern on the importance of telling the stories from the places that are off the interstate. This episode is brought to you by Brain.fm. I love and use brain.fm every day! It combines music and neuroscience to help me focus, meditate, and even sleep! Because you listen to this show, you can get a free trial.* URL: https://brain.fm/innovativemindset If you love it as much as I do, you can get 20% off with this exclusive coupon code: innovativemindset   Born during the driving rainstorm that inspired Stevie Ray Vaughan to record the classic “Texas Flood,” Evan Stern is one of a proud few who can claim Austin as his legitimate hometown. Having caught the performing bug early on, he first gained attention at age 11 with a second-place finish in Austin's famed O. Henry Pun Off, and has since graced the stages of New York's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the British American Drama Academy, whether acting Shakespeare, or charming audiences with the turn of a Cole Porter phrase, Evan is first and foremost a storyteller, with a sincere love and appreciation for history, travel and the art of raconteurship. He is now honored to return to Texas for the first season of Vanishing Postcards, an ambitious project that represents a synthesis of these passions through the form of audio essay. Vanishing Postcards is a documentary travelogue in which listeners are invited on a road trip exploring the hidden dives, traditions, and frequently threatened histories that can be discovered by exiting the interstates. Named one of the Best Podcasts of 2021 by Digital Trends. Connect with Evan IG - @vanishing_postcards IG - @evansternnyc Podcast- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vanishing-postcards/id1544610020 Episode Transcript [00:00:00] Evan Stern: It's hard for me to really latch on one specific lesson that I have gained, but I do believe that. Everybody wants, ultimately wants to be heard. [00:00:18] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Hello and welcome to the innovative mindset podcast. I'm your host Izolda Trakhtenberg on the show. I interview peak performing innovators in the creative social impact and earth conservation spaces or working to change the world. This episode is brought to you by brain FM brain FM combines the best of music and neuroscience to help you relax, focus, meditate, and even sleep. [00:00:39] I love it and have been using it to write, create and do. Deepest work because you're a listener of the show. You can get a free trial head over to brain.fm/innovative mindset to check it out. If you decide to subscribe, you can get 20% off with the coupon code, innovative mindset, all one word. And now let's get to the show. [00:00:58] Yeah.[00:01:00] [00:01:02] Hey there. And welcome to the innovative mindset podcast. My name is Izolda Trakhtenberg. I'm your host, and I'm super thrilled that you're here. I'm also really excited and thrilled to talk about and meet this week's guest. Listen to this. Evan stern was born during the driving rainstorm that inspired Stevie Ray Vaughn to record the class. [00:01:22] Texas flood. I love that Evan stern is one of a proud few who can claim Austin. S's legitimate hometown that's the town is growing. So, wow. That's amazing how few people probably are from there. Having caught the performing bug early on. He first gained attention at age 11 with a second place finish in Austin's famed. [00:01:43] Oh, Henry punt off. And it says grace, the stages of new York's Carnegie hall and Lincoln center, a graduate of Sarah Lawrence college. American drama academy. Wow. Whether acting Shakespeare or charming audiences with the turn of a Cole Porter phrase, Evan is first and foremost, a storyteller, and [00:02:00] you know how close that is to my heart. [00:02:02] He's got a sincere love and appreciation for history travel and the art of a wreck on tour ship. He's now honored to return to Texas for the first season of vanishing postcards and ambitious project that represents a synthesis of these passions through the form of audio essay. Vanishing postcards is a documentary travel log in which listeners are invited on a road trip, exploring the hidden dives, traditions, and frequently threatened histories that can be discovered by exiting the interstates named one of the best podcasts of 2021 by digital trends, evidence here to talk about banishing postcards and everything else. [00:02:37] So amazing that he's doing Evan. Thank you so much for being there. Show welcome. [00:02:41] Evan Stern: Thank you so much for having me. It's a great honor. Oh, [00:02:44] Izolda Trakhtenberg: you're very sweet. So I I'm, this is such an exciting thing. Delving into the history of Texas. First of all, into the, into the storytellers of Texas into the dives and the honky-tonks of Texas as a travel log.[00:03:00] [00:03:00] But as a podcast, what, what inspired you to do this? What inspired you to go? You know what? I'm going to create this travel log. And I'm going to make it about my home state. What happened that you went, yes, I want to do this. [00:03:13] Evan Stern: Well, it was, it, it wasn't as if there was a lightning bolt of inspiration. It was a very kind of slow gradual process. [00:03:21] Um, and, and you told me, you know, a few years ago that right now I'd be working on a podcast. Um, you know, I might've said really. Um, but like, like so many though, I am one of those people who over the last 10 years just absolutely fell in love. Podcasting, um, and the, um, audio medium of storytelling, I think kind of the gateway drug for me, um, was years ago, I started listening to the moth, you know, just people getting up and telling personal stories without notes. [00:03:52] I, I just absolutely loved it. Um, then you start discovering, um, other programs, you know, like the, the kitchen [00:04:00] sisters and, and, and, and there's, you know, different, different stuff. I mean, there, there's a wonderful podcast about classic Hollywood called you must remember this. There's one about country music called cocaine and rhinestones, um, and around, and, you know, not too long ago as well. [00:04:18] Um, you know, the YouTube algorithm, uh, kept suggesting for whatever reason that I watched these, uh, travel blog, travel blog videos, and in watching them, I would never really see the way that I enjoy traveling represented. Um, I mean, certainly it's not always the case, but I think more often than not, when you, when you see videos of that nature, it's much less about the places themselves. [00:04:45] It's much more about the people saying, oh, look at me and how cute I am in this place. Um, and I just kind of gradually started thinking, you know, I wonder if there is something that, uh, that, that I can do. [00:05:00] Um, and initially I had this grand idea. That I wanted to do a show that was going to be a musical travel log of Mexico. [00:05:09] Um, you know, I'm, I'm immersed in the gig economy in New York, and I always try my best to get away January February just to, to escape the, the bitter cold of the winter. And, um, you know, Mexico is my happy place. It's, it's cheap, it's warm. Um, and so I initially had this idea that I was going to go, uh, kind of explore, use music as a portal to exploring the cultural, regional history of Mexico. [00:05:36] I was going to go to Vera Cruz that was going to where the tradition of, you know, and one a Watteau and, um, you know, in Monterey and the north. And I went so far as to, uh, produce a pilot episode, um, in Marietta Yucatan, um, about the tradition of the trophies that they have there. And it's one thing to, you know, when you're running an event, [00:06:00] Um, you know, you're thinking to yourself, oh my goodness, this is just going to be the best thing ever. [00:06:05] This is going to be amazing. And then you sit down and you listen to what you have spent months working on and you go, oh my goodness, I have missed the mark. So terribly. Um, it was a perfect lesson in show. Don't tell, I mean, w what happened was, is I talked all about the city of Marietta. It's about its history, this, that, and the other, but you didn't actually, um, when, when you were listening to it, I also learned pretty quickly that the, the human voice has such terrific color, shade, and nuance to it. [00:06:37] That if you have an actor come in, um, to a dub over, uh, you know, what was said in English, you just, you just lose so much. Um, and I realized pretty quickly that I needed to learn much more about audio production before tackling a project of that ambitious nature. And so I started thinking to myself, well, you know what. [00:06:59] Might [00:07:00] not be as exotic as Mexico, but if there's one thing I know it's that Texas people love to talk and they tell great stories. So in January of 2020, um, grab some equipments. Um, and I went back down to Texas to see what I could do. Um, really, it was just, uh, going to be kind of an experiment. Um, but it very quickly evolved into vanishing postcards. [00:07:26] Um, what happened was, is I took a look at what I was doing, um, and I realized that each episode was a snapshot of a different place. And if there was a thing that the place has had in common it's that you didn't know how much longer a lot of them were going to be around or that they were representative of broader cultural histories or traditions that. [00:07:52] You know, you, you just, they're kind of rare, um, in, in this kind of fast paced rapidly homogenizing [00:08:00] world. Um, and, um, since then it, it became, it it's, it's been an incredibly rewarding journey. Um, you know, as I maybe referenced earlier in, in many ways, it is kind of a 180 from a lot of the work I've previously done at the, at the same time. [00:08:17] Um, I feel that all of that work really kind of beautifully prepared me for it. Um, and having embarked on this journey, um, I ended up covering like about 1500 miles of, of Texas and, um, having embarked on this journey as a solo traveler, um, I'm now really grateful that the series is out in the world. Um, and I can invite, uh, you know, people like you and listeners really around the world, uh, to, to join me now and experience, uh, everything that I got to do. [00:08:49] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Wow. That's amazing. And it's incredible to me, what you just said about how you took everything that you had learned up until that [00:09:00] point and reframed it and repurposed it almost into this, this way of looking at your home state. And yet it is both technical and it takes a lot of artistry. And I'm wondering what, in, as part of, as part of doing this project, what did you learn? [00:09:21] What was the thing that stood out for you that you learned maybe about yourself or about the people in your state or about the places? What was the biggest thing you learned and how did it change you? [00:09:31] Evan Stern: Well, there's a lot, I mean, it's hard to, for me to really latch on one specific lesson that I have gained. [00:09:38] Um, but I do believe that. Everybody wants, ultimately wants to be heard. They, they really do. Um, and I mean, people often ask me, you know, w w w w when I first started doing this, it was, it was in January, 2020. It was before the pandemic hit. Obviously the pandemic changed, um, a [00:10:00] lot of what I could do. Um, but I was really the first episodes that you'll hear in the series. [00:10:05] I was really just kind of showing up at these places completely unannounced. Um, they really had no idea, um, that I was going to be there. Um, and it, it, people ask me, you know, did you meet resistance? We'll we'll really know. Um, everyone was, was intrigued. And for the most part, people were so honored that, you know, someone like me was taking an interest in their work, their place, uh, what they were doing. [00:10:35] Um, and I don't think too, I mean, Someone recently asked me too, that, that when they, you know, listen to the, to the series, you know, that, you know, they, they feel as if I'm able to, you know, extract these, these stories. And they said, well, how, how do you, how do you make this magic happen? And, well, the truth is is that you, you can't, um, there is nothing that you can do to you. [00:10:59] You never [00:11:00] really know what is is going to happen. Um, but the stories, if you just, if you start talking to people, um, you approach them with respect, empathy, and a willingness to listen. Um, and you ask them specific questions. Um, you just, you, you never know what you're going to. Um, and something that I tell anyone who's maybe interested in doing something like this. [00:11:29] Um, I will say that if you do want to, you know, get stories, you do want to ask people specific questions. Um, I would never go up to someone and just say, tell me about yourself. Um, I might say, um, before we get started, could you maybe describe for me your childhood home, you know, something like that. And, um, that really kind of opens up the door and we just kind of take things from there. [00:11:51] Yeah. [00:11:56] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Sorry. I'm taking all of that in. I like to take a pause to make sure [00:12:00] that I've, that I've understood everything. One of the things that I heard you say that really struck a chord with me was that it's about listening. And the other thing of course was asking those specific questions and. Were there any, and if so, what are they techniques that you use specifically as a, as a performer to help you with that part of it? [00:12:26] Evan Stern: Well, you know, I honestly, I think that, um, as I said so much of my experience, um, leading PR prepared me in, in leading up to this, um, and a big job that I've had for a number of years here in the city is it's a very, it's a very strange job. Um, I work as a, what is called a standardized patient, um, that is the medical schools, programs, hire actors to facilitate simulations [00:13:00] for, uh, medical interns and students. [00:13:03] Um, I have played all sorts of different cases. You'd never believe. I mean, they've had to diagnose me. I've been the graphic designer they've had to diagnose with cancer. Um, I have, uh, you know, I, I I've been the 19 year old crack addict who suffered a panic attack. You name it. I've I've had it. Um, but I have learned so much in, in working with these students in terms of how they build rapport and what works and what doesn't. [00:13:34] Um, I think it's amazing. How many people, uh, it can be applied to interview situations, whatever, um, you know, you give someone a microphone. Sometimes they just kind of become a completely different person. You know, they think that every question, you know, has to be probing and every question, you know, has to have weight, but you really just have to remember how you talk to people in your [00:14:00] everyday life. [00:14:02] You know, how do you introduce yourself to a stranger? Um, you know, you're just going to start talking to people, um, and you know, you, you read their body language and you, you really just it's about establishing trust. Um, and it, and I feel that people understand that. I don't think of myself as a journalist. [00:14:30] Um, I'll be the first to say that I think of myself as more of an essayist. I really think that a journalist job is to investigate a journalist job is to probe. I'm not really there to do that. I'm really there just to, you know, kind of have a conversation and, and enjoy the ride and see where that ride takes. [00:14:49] You know, I'm not, if someone tells me a tall tale, um, I'm not going to fact check that story. Um, but I think that people recognize [00:15:00] that. Um, and you know, I just think that, um, just, just really, like I said, just, just remembering how we relate to one another, uh, every day is, is just crucial. [00:15:15] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Yeah, you're talking. I mean, as you're talking, I'm going, he's, he's talking about integrity and authenticity, and those words are abandoned about aura a lot nowadays, but it really, it seems to me that that's, that that's what you, that, that that's what, what you were using, you know, using who you, who you were authentically to meet these people. [00:15:37] And I know you said that people asked you if you, if you met resistance, I'm wondering what was the most wild story you heard? [00:15:46] Evan Stern: Goodness. Oh, man, there, there were, there was, uh, so, so there's this teeny town called Castile, Texas that sits on the Western edge of the, uh, [00:16:00] the hill country. It's absolutely beautiful, very isolated. [00:16:04] The town has a population of six and, um, I don't even know if he's really there, mayor, I don't know if they actually have a mayor, but you know, the, the big local personality is Randy Love. Festi, uh, he's the owner of the Castille store. Um, I'll be releasing his episode in a, in a few weeks. Um, but, uh, when I was there, he told me that, uh, he had, uh, he, he, he, he took a trip to Cabo San Lucas with his girlfriend. [00:16:36] Uh, they saw this, uh, chicken in a bar and he said, you know what, I need a chicken for the store. So, um, you know, he bought this, uh, roof. For the store. And, um, he had this, uh, Billy Bass that was like, you know, one of those electronic things, you know, you clap your hands in the best wiggles. Well, um, one day as he tells [00:17:00] me, he looks over and, um, this rooster is having sexual relations with that bass. [00:17:05] So this thing he tells me became this huge sensation where people from all over the place started coming to town to see his rooster perform, you know, 12 times a day. And he was able to, uh, make hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate deals that he was able to sell to the people who came through the store because of that rooster. [00:17:27] And then he proudly led me into the store where he showed me this. He, you know, he, he called the rooster cockroach. Yeah, and the rooster died. And after the rooster died, he had that. He took him to the taxidermists and, um, had him, uh, mounted and placed on top of his good friend, Billy the bass. And I've seen a lot of taxidermy in my day. [00:17:51] I don't think I have ever seen a stuffed rooster and I have certainly never seen a row stuffed rooster on top of a Billy Bass. I'll [00:18:00] tell you that right now. [00:18:02] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Wow. That is. Tall tale for sure. [00:18:10] Oh my goodness. I uh, wow. Yeah, yeah. I don't even, I'm like, whatever. How do I follow that up? I think, I don't [00:18:21] know. I did. I did, because you know, the thing, the thing about this is that anytime we tell stories or listen to stories, I think we're changed by them even if, even if it's, oh, that's just the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Your experience of life is, is, is changed in some way or another. So I guess I'm wondering, how have you been changed by doing this project? [00:18:45] Evan Stern: Well, It's in many ways, it's been a dive into the unknown, as I said, it's, it's very, it was all very new for me in the beginning. Um, I had to do a lot of learning and [00:19:00] I re I really had to put myself out there. Um, it definitely, um, tested the boundaries of my comfort, um, in a lot of ways. Um, you know, you really just have to, as I said earlier, you have to go up out there and just start talking to people. [00:19:16] Um, and I usually found that I was way more nervous than the people I was talking to. And, um, I was talking to someone else about this, um, experience. Someone said, and, you know, she asked me, she was like, well, how do you, where does that confidence come from? Where do you get that confidence? And I said, well, you know what? [00:19:36] I, I, I think I've discovered that confidence is kind of overrated. Um, because you can't just read a book or, you know, attend a three-day workshop, whatever, and magically have confidence. It just doesn't happen that way. Confidence happens as a result of experience. Um, it happens as a result of mistakes. Um, and, [00:20:00] um, I think. [00:20:02] I heard somewhere that, you know, what heroic act doesn't involve, just huge levels of vulnerability. Um, and so I, I think I have definitely grown in confidence as a result of all of this, but that really, uh, just is a by-product of, of the work itself and everything that, you know, has been asked of me to, to rise to this challenge [00:20:36] Izolda Trakhtenberg: and that in itself, the, the skills you've built, the ideas that you've gotten and, and brought to fruition is a big part of the change I would imagine. And I love, I'd love to discuss a little bit as you talk about this, what is the process? What was the creative process that goes in to making an episode to crafting vanishing posts? [00:20:59] Evan Stern: Absolutely. [00:21:00] So each, you know, obviously I do have each episode does have a subject that I am interested in delving into. Um, there are people that I want to meet, just so you know, so basically, um, a bit more about the show itself for, for those listening out there. So essentially listeners are invited to join me on a road trip. [00:21:23] And so each episode is produced in documentary style. So, you know, you're going to hear a lot of, it's not, you know, interview, it's not talk show, you're going to hear a lot of different voices. Um, you're going to hear some of my narration, um, and I really work hard to make it an immersive listening experience for those who, who are hearing the episodes. [00:21:49] Um, but basically the, the way that I constructed is, um, there are. And, uh, as I said, you know, each episode, there are certain issues that, that I'm looking at. [00:22:00] Um, and so I just go, I, I talk to people, um, and I assemble a number of interviews at the, at the places that I go to. Um, you know, I try to talk to the, uh, the owners. [00:22:14] I try to talk to the workers. I try to talk to the people who go to these places. Um, you're going to ask all of those people different questions. Um, but you're also, I think there, you know, you also want to, there are also some specific questions that I will ask all of them. Um, and then what I do is I, I come back home and I listened to all of the, um, I listened to all of the interviews and I extract, you know, the, the gold from each person I speak with, you know, I could very well talk to someone for like an hour out of that hour conversation. [00:22:51] I might just take, you know, Three minutes worth of, of nuggets or whatnot. Um, and then I, you know, I, I look at [00:23:00] everything that I have and I stepped back and I, I just kind of look for it, you know, that, what, what, what, what, what are the commonalities, what, what do people keep coming back to, you know, are there opposing views? [00:23:15] Um, and from there, I, I just kind of take these nuggets and I weave together a story out of all of that. Um, I really let my subjects kind of guide the way that the, the story moves and goes. Um, the, the most challenging job for me is in the writing process of pasting it all together. Um, everything has to have I learned, you know, for years, I, you know, I've, I've. [00:23:45] Did a lot of performing in the cabaret world. Um, and you know, even if you're just putting together a show, that's, that's really kind of, you know, a series of songs, what is said in between those songs is every bit as [00:24:00] important as the songs themselves and everything has to have architecture and a beginning, middle and an end. [00:24:06] Um, so the, the greatest challenge for me is about how I can link everything together, um, in the narration as part of a cohesive whole, um, you know, I think, but each episode, uh, you know, I, I never, totally, there are always things that I want to focus on, but you just never totally know where it's going to go. [00:24:27] And before each one, um, I always ask my God, is this going to work? Um, but some so far it's worked out okay, [00:24:38] Izolda Trakhtenberg: That moment of, oh, what if this is going to be a complete disaster? I know it well. Um, and it's, I'm so fascinated by what you're saying with respect to the storytelling, the beginning, middle and end, and the sort of the patter between songs in, in, in a cabaret show, all of, all of those things, those elements [00:25:00] of storytelling, what do you think is the result? [00:25:06] What is the most crucial thing to put into it? And what is the result? How do you, when do you feel like yes, it has worked as opposed to, oh, it's going to be a disaster. [00:25:16] Evan Stern: Well, as I said earlier, again, the most important thing is, is show don't tell, um, and what, what, what is always best for me is I try not to. [00:25:34] I try not to express too much in the way of, of opinion. Um, what, what is really magical though, is just when you have, when you're talking to someone and, you know, whether they realize it or not, they, they share and tell a story that just kind of beautifully encapsulates everything, you know, that, that just really explains the issue [00:26:00] without it, you know, at that point, the work for you is, is really done. [00:26:05] Um, but you know, kind of an example of, of something that, you know, I, I did that, that was a challenge, um, was, you know, I have an episode that's coming out in a bit where. I took a trip first to, to Brownsville, Texas, where I spoke with this man who is the last, uh, cook in the United States who was allowed to serve a barbacoa cooked barbacoa, as it was meant to be prepared, which means it's, it's cooked in a pit under the ground. [00:26:37] Um, and that's what he does. He, he, he's serving barbacoa out of what had been his childhood home. Um, there's a pit out back that's in the ground and, you know, that's where he cooks it. The reason that he's allowed to do it is because his father started it in 1956 and it's been going on for this long. And so I focused on him and I did a segment on him. [00:26:57] And then I went to San [00:27:00] Antonio and I, um, you know, met a cook there who, you know, talked about cooking up puffy tacos. And, um, it ended up, you know, she, her story went in a completely different direction. Um, I mean, her mother. Started this business out of, uh, out of a garage because it was her last hope. Um, she was an incredible woman, a revered figure in San Antonio, um, who, you know, was shockingly murdered. [00:27:28] Um, and she talked all about that and, and, and everything. And, and then, and how she like found forgiveness and was being able to move beyond and, you know, everything that her, how her mother prepared her and how her mother expressed love through, through cooking. And, um, I realized that, you know, on, on the surface, you know, these two stories, yes, they were about cooking, but they were very, very different. [00:27:55] But what, what is it that they had in common? I realized that, you know, [00:28:00] through their cooking, they were both expressing love. And for me, and that's how I brought the two together. [00:28:14] Izolda Trakhtenberg: I'm still thinking, sorry, it's a beautiful, uh, yeah. That notion of, um, cooking and, and healing through cooking and expressing love through cooking, but also expressing love for, I guess, the, the heritage and the inspiration for what they did is so important. And I'm wondering if you have someone or figures or people in, in your world. [00:28:45] Hoo hoo hoo. Does that for you? Who inspired you to do this? And if so, is it that same love, it sounds weird to say love connection, but is that connection one of love and respect? What [00:29:00] is it about the people or the images or, or the ideas that inspired you that comes from that place? [00:29:11] Oh, no you're [00:29:11] Evan Stern: thinking. Oh, no, of course, absolutely. I mean, [00:29:20] There. I mean, who can you say, can you just rephrase the question in a simple, in a simple one sentence in a simple one sentence for me? Can you say, say what you're getting at [00:29:30] Izolda Trakhtenberg: again here? Sure. I'm just wondering who inspired you throughout the journey? Are there any public figures or is there anybody in Texas? [00:29:37] Are there any people who made you go, ah, this is what I want. Well, [00:29:41] Evan Stern: what I can say is that if, if there is a bar that I am always working towards, you know, never, never met him personally. Um, but I am old enough to remember growing up on CVS. There was a man by the name of Charles Kuralt who would travel the [00:30:00] country and he would really just kind of share good news is, is what he was, is what he was doing. [00:30:07] And he. He, he never expressed anything in, in terms of, in, in, in showing these stories, he was able to present, you know, the best of people without really expressing anything in the way of judgment. And there are many situations throughout this process where I have asked myself, what would Charles Kuralt do? [00:30:32] Hmm. Um, and you know, I, I don't mean to, I'm not trying to compare myself to Charles Caroll. Um, in the least, you know, I have much more work to do, you know, before I feel like I can get people called him the Walt Whitman of American television. Um, but I can tell you that that is the bar that I am always working towards. [00:30:56] Um, and the greatest compliments that I have received, [00:31:00] um, you know, or when people have heard this series and said, oh, you know what, this reminds me of Charles Perrault. [00:31:08] Izolda Trakhtenberg: That's lovely. And I remember Charles Caroll also on like, uh, CBS Sunday morning or something like that. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. His stories were all, you know, when, uh, you were mentioning the idea of love and heart. [00:31:20] That's what I remember thinking about his stories was that they were always full of such quiet soul and heart. They didn't have to be huge stories, but they were, they always left me feeling better and always gave me something to think about. Well, yeah, [00:31:38] Evan Stern: go on. Go on. No, no, no, go ahead. Go ahead. Well, and I do believe that there is a great void of that when you look at our media landscape right now, and th there, there really is. [00:31:48] Um, we live in a horribly polarized, horribly divided age. Um, I, I do not believe that anything that we have lived through over the [00:32:00] last five, six years should be normalized. I will be the first to say that, um, But I do believe that, you know, the, the issues that we are wrestling with right now as a nation, uh, in the divisions that we're dealing with in terms of politics and race are completely unsustainable. [00:32:20] But at the same time, I do think that there is more that we have in common than what we've realized. And I do think that culture right now is one of those rare areas of agreement. And what this show is about celebrating is that culture, um, you know, culture provides opportunity for shared experiences and you know, that that's really kind of what I'm getting at with, with all of this. [00:32:53] Um, and, and additionally too, I mean, how can we expect for people in [00:33:00] our rural communities to appreciate what is good and beautiful about places like New York city or San Francisco, or even Austin for that matter, if we cannot appreciate what is good and beautiful about them, [00:33:22] Izolda Trakhtenberg: from what you just said, it feels like there's a sort of a, through the looking glass aspect to your show that you're inviting people to go on a journey with you to, to see these places or to listen to these, to these stories and to hear about them. When you do that, when you're in that space of inviting people on a journey, how do you decide which stories are the ones that are important to tell. [00:33:52] Evan Stern: Well, something that's important to me. Is that so often when we think about art and [00:34:00] culture, I mean, we think about palaces of civilization, like the mat, the British museum, the, the loop, but the truth is that art and culture is everywhere. And oftentimes some of the best of it comes from places that you're just not going to read about in glossy magazines. [00:34:20] You're not going to see about these places on Instagram. And it's really about exploring that, you know, Detroit gave us Motown, Clarksdale, Mississippi gave us the blues. Um, and, and for me, it's really kind of about seeking these, these places out. You know, if you read a, you know, if you read like a tourist guide book about Texas, they're going to tell you to go to the Alamo. [00:34:49] They're going to tell you to go to the river walk, do this, do that. Um, There's so much more to that. I mean, I had the [00:35:00] great honor of visiting a town called San Benito, um, which is about, you know, 15, 18 miles north of the border. Um, and you know, th this is, you know, if you look at this country, um, you know, the real Grandy valley, um, is just statistically, one of the, the poor regions, you know, there's been a lot. [00:35:21] Um, you know, uh, D population, you know, flight, whatnot, but this town of San Benito, um, was responsible for giving birth to the movement of music. Um, which is an incredible genre. Basically what happened is the, uh, the Mexican laborers down in south Texas, um, heard the music that was brought to the area by the checks, the Germans, they heard the Pocus, they heard the accordions, um, and they, they took that accordion music. [00:35:51] They took those polkas and they added their own lyrics and Spanish to them. They threw in guitar and they created this whole entire genre [00:36:00] of music. And, um, w w the story there is, is, is I knew that I wanted to. To do a piece, you know, on the border, you hear about the border a lot, um, in the news right now, but what is always lost in the noise surrounding all of that is the culture and the people who actually exist there. [00:36:19] Um, and I thought that kahuna really kind of provided a terrific, uh, opportunity just to explore kind of the beautiful th the, the beauty that exists there. And I heard that there was this museum in this town called the Texas kahuna music hall of fame. So I sent a message on Facebook. Um, I I'd heard that, uh, it was founded and owned by a man by the name of Ray Abila. [00:36:42] And a little while later, I got a call from his son, turned out, uh, that Mr. Abila, his father had died about seven months prior, but that if I wanted to go, um, visit the museum, that they would be honored to have me and I showed up. This museum, the small town in [00:37:00] Texas and the entire family was there because they wanted for me to know about their father. [00:37:07] Um, they wanted me to know about Cancun . Um, they found a, the president of a record label who specializes in this music so that he could be there with us too. And they had such pride and joy in, in sharing. And an honor that someone took the time to visit a place like, like San Benito. Um, it is an experience I will always treasure and never forget. [00:37:34] Izolda Trakhtenberg: That is so lovely. And I'm so glad that you got to tell that to, to tell that story, to show, to show, to sort of open the window, if you will, into San Benito and into this music. And I'm wondering something, this is a little off topic, but do you know who Alan Lomax was? I [00:37:54] Evan Stern: have heard the name. Um, please refresh my memory. [00:37:57] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Sure, sure. So he was an [00:38:00] ethnomusicologist and what he did with his whole career for 50 years, he traveled the world and he recorded music. And when video came along, video of mew, indigenous music, wherever he was, he tried to find the music from that place. And, uh, and there, when I worked at the national geographic site in many moons ago, he came over and he was like, Hey, I would love to put together a library that didn't happen with the geographic, but his daughter, after his death put up a website and there is a website that you can go and, uh, sort of see the music from anywhere. [00:38:35] You can hear the music from anywhere, you just type it in. And if it's there, if they got a recording of it, you'll be able to hear it. And so I'm wondering for posterity, what is your. W w w this library, if you will, that you're creating this travel log that you're creating in my mind, Alan Lomax, his version of it is providing us access to music from all [00:39:00] over the world that is, that could be lost. [00:39:03] And I'm wondering, what do you, what is your feeling about that with the stories that you're telling you mentioned earlier that these that's, their survival is not certain the different traditions and the, and even the, the, you know, the honky-tonks the places themselves, what are you going for here? What is your long-term vision for vanishing postcard? [00:39:24] Evan Stern: Well, so yes, so I'm collecting oral history and I, I think it is really important that we do have a record of it. Um, I think in some ways, uh, this is something perhaps of a bit of a call to arms. Um, you know, I, I want to say it's about shining a light on, you know, what is, what is still, what is still there. [00:39:47] Um, but we can still go to, but as I said, you know, some of this stuff might not be around for too much longer, so it's, it's really kind of about drawing attention to it so that we can preserve it. Um, you know, I look at my [00:40:00] hometown of Austin. Texas as a whole. Um, it is, it is changing at rapid pace. I don't think that change is something to be feared. [00:40:09] Um, in, in many ways I think it is something that, um, should be embraced, but we have to change and grow responsibly. Um, we have to ask, you know, why, w w what is it that people like about Austin? What is it about Texas that draws people there? Why do people keep coming? Um, and I do think that it is it's culture, and I believe that we, as a society need to do a lot more to protect the culture that surrounds us. [00:40:36] I mean, th th most of the places that I spotlight are small businesses and. You know, whenever a small business closes that, you know, has a great history behind it or fondness to it, you'll have all of these people come out of the woodwork saying, oh my goodness, this is horrible. This is the worst thing ever. [00:40:54] But my question always is, well, when was the last time you, you actually went there? Um, [00:41:00] I mean, it's really exhausting. It's a lot of hard work, um, to, to keep these places going. And if people get tired or they aren't making ends meet you, you can't blame them. Um, and this is an issue that you see happening in New York. [00:41:14] It's an issue you see happening in Texas, California, London, name it it's happening. Um, and so I do think that. You know, th th hopefully this series kind of makes people think, uh, a bit more about that. Um, and long-term, it is my hope, uh, that I can expand the map beyond Texas because, um, the, the issues that I feel are explored in this series are truly universal. [00:41:44] In fact, if you look at the analytics, um, most people tuning in and listening right now are actually listening from outside of Texas. Um, and so I think it's important to, uh, you know, I want to expand the map [00:42:00] and, um, you know, if I can do a part to draw attention to, you know, the, the, the beauty of a meal, American culture that surrounds us, um, you know, that's kind of what my goal is. [00:42:16] Izolda Trakhtenberg: And it's a great goal. And I'm so glad that you said that you eventually, cause that was going to be, my next question was, do you want to take it outside of Texas? And I mean, Texas covering Texas can be a lifetime's work cause it's such a big place with such a varied set of, of uh, peoples and cultures. [00:42:32] And yet I love the notion of, of that, what you said, finding those small businesses, finding those people, who aren't, the ones trumpeting themselves and giving them a chance to, to shine. I think that's amazing and wonderful that you're doing that. And I love the notion. And if you could. What would you go next? [00:42:53] Evan Stern: Uh, well, I, I have a dream. I would love to drive route 66 from Oklahoma to [00:43:00] California, and I would love to collect stories and oral histories along the way. Um, I think that route 66, so much of why, um, it kind of occupies this mythic status, um, is because of the timing. Um, you know, there were other highways that were built before or after there were larger ones. [00:43:19] Um, but I think, you know, if you journey route 60, I've never done it, but I, I have to think that if you drive route 66, I mean, you were following in the steps of the, the Okies who migrated to California because of the dust bowl and the great depression. Um, it was an incredible artery during world war II. [00:43:38] So there's that history as well. Um, then it kind of. You know, in encapsulates that golden age of American travel and in the late forties and fifties, then it was decommissioned. And, you know, there was a lot of abandonment that happened and kind of, what does that say? Um, you know, about the American dream, you [00:44:00] know, it was it, uh, and, and so there's a lot that I would like to explore and taking that journey, um, beyond that, I would also love to take a trip to Mississippi sometime, uh, something that fascinates me about Mississippi. [00:44:11] I think, um, the, the writer really Maura said that Mississippi is America's Ireland. Um, if you look at it, it has produced the most incredible Canon of just literary lions, um, William Fox. Um, Richard Wright, Eudora, Welty. Um, they were all Mississippians and Mississippi continues to produce an incredible writers there. [00:44:36] There's a wonderful storytelling tradition attached to Mississippi. Um, and I would love to see, uh, what, what I could get there. [00:44:47] Izolda Trakhtenberg: I love it. I think that's amazing. First of all, I'd driven along 66 and you will, you will love it. Love it, love it. And, uh, you know, Mississippi and the south in general [00:45:00] has a rich storytelling culture. I have every time I spend time in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, that, that part of the country there, if you, if you set a spell, you will, you will get amazing stories. [00:45:16] And often you don't, it doesn't take a lot of prompting. So I'm I'm you said earlier that, that it's just about sort of talking to people the way you would talk to them. The, I guess the question is, have you had people who just say Nope, Nope. Not doing it. And if so, what have you done if that particular story is important to you or do you just move on to the next person? [00:45:38] Oh, [00:45:38] Evan Stern: absolutely. Well, there, there is. Um, you know, so the. The third episode that you'll hear in the series. Um, I did at a honky-tonk called arche blue, silver dollar, um, in this town called Bandera, Texas. Um, it's a fantastic place. Um, again, it was pre pandemic. Um, so, you know, I showed up there unannounced and I really wanted to [00:46:00] talk to, uh, archi blue. [00:46:01] He's he's the owner, he's in his eighties. He performs there every Saturday night. Um, I thought, you know, th this guy is a legend. I've got to talk to him, got to talk to him. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Wouldn't give me an inch refuse to let me record him. Um, and you know, he was cordial when I talked to him, we're talking, you know, you're one word answers, you try everything. [00:46:24] Um, but what happened is, is, uh, every, I, I talked to everyone. That I could find around him and everybody had a story about archi that they wanted to share and, um, what resulted in. And so his refusal became part of the story itself. Um, but in talking to everyone who knew and loved him and had stories to share about him, you really got a terrific, uh, portrait that wouldn't have existed. [00:46:56] Otherwise that that I think is entirely charming. [00:47:00] Um, and when that happened, I had to remind myself that one of my very, very favorite, um, essays of all time, uh, was written by, uh, gates Elise. Um, in 1965, he was given an assignment to interview Frank Sinatra for Esquire magazine and Frank Sinatra completely refused to talk to him. [00:47:23] Um, but what he ended up doing was he interviewed all the hangers on everyone in his, his entourage. And, uh, to this day, people say that it is the most realistic. Portrait of Frank Sinatra that has ever been captured. Um, and so I would recommend to anyone who finds themselves in that position to think of that story and, you know, maybe read that story, uh, because that's something that I draw tremendous inspiration from.[00:48:00] [00:48:03] Izolda Trakhtenberg: It's so interesting. I have a friend who, uh, who's a PR expert and she talks about the difference between marketing and PR Gloria, Charles, her name. And she says marketing is when you come to people and you say, Hey, I'm great. But PR is when someone else goes, you know what? That person they're great. And as long as it's someone you trust, it weighs more than if the person is trumping again themselves, you know? [00:48:31] And so there's something to what you said that kind of reminded me of that, that notion of the other people around Frank Sinatra or, or, or archi, uh, being the ones who tell their tale. And I, I guess I'm wondering within that, I've asked you about the wildest, what is the story that has touched you the most? [00:48:55] The one that made you go, ah, wow. I had no [00:49:00] idea. [00:49:02] Evan Stern: Well, for me, the, the episode that, that, that has the most personal heart for me, um, is, is the second one. What happened is I went to this dance hall. Um, I, I, I knew that I wanted to do a piece on dance halls. Um, in, in Texas, you know, everyone always talks, always writes about Greenhall or Lukin Bach. [00:49:27] You know, those are the big dance halls, but there are many, many, many more others out there. And there was one I discovered that I'd never been to called SEF Shaq hall. It's in this teeny community, um, called Seton, Texas. It's about eight miles outside of a town called temple. It's a community of about 40 people. [00:49:48] And, um, and there's this old dance hall there called SEF shuck hall. That is pretty much trapped in time. Um, by most accounts, it is now the oldest, [00:50:00] um, family run dance hall in Texas. You know, it's a family that, that owns it. This family has, has always owned and run it. And, um, I went there and I wanted to talk to its owner, Alice, who is 89 years old. [00:50:19] Um, and, uh, you know, I had actually called an advanced to ask if I could come and talk to her. She said, sure, well, I got there. And I said, well, I'm here to talk to Alice. And it turned out, you know, that morning she took a fall and they had to take her to the emergency room. Um, and you know, and it kind of, you know, you could feel the way. [00:50:41] In that situation, you know, what, what happens to this place? Um, you know, without, without Alice here. And I ended up talking to her daughter-in-law and son, um, and you know, they're, they're committed to keeping it going. Um, but you could feel like the, you [00:51:00] know, the, you know, I, I feel like that situation kind of infused the episode with, with weight. [00:51:06] Um, but beyond that, um, you know, I listened to, to what I had initially, and there was something missing. Um, I said to myself, I said, you know, I'm doing a lot of talking here. I'd like to find someone else who could do some, some talking for. Um, and there there's an association called the Texas dance hall preservation. [00:51:29] And I found the woman who was working at the time as their executive director, because I wanted to talk to her just to kind of get some more historic perspective on dance halls. You know, I was talking about the history. I think it's better if someone else can talk about the history, other than me, that actually knows more. [00:51:45] And, you know, I talked earlier about how, you know, you have those moments where someone just kind of, you know, tells a story or share something that just beautifully illuminates everything. And, um, [00:52:00] I was talking to her and I asked, I said, you know, there are so many causes out there in this world that are, that are worth devoting attention to. [00:52:09] I said, you know, why are dance halls important to you? And she said it was, it became an incredibly emotional interview that I was not expecting at all. But she said that, you know, those places have a lot of heart and that her fear was that we're getting away from that as a society. And, you know, she, you know, ends up crying. [00:52:34] She's saying, you know, these places, you know, people go there, you know, it's not just about the fun. It's, it's not just about the dancing. Um, it's about, you know, it's about cleaning the roof. It's about cleaning the toilet. And she says, I see so many people working so hard to keep these places going and, you know, and of course it is perfectly illustrated what the shoe lock family, you know, we're, we're [00:53:00] doing, you know, the, the, the daughter-in-law the son, you know, they, they work, you know, five days, they do not take days off. [00:53:07] You know, they have regular jobs that they keep Monday through Friday, and then they're there on the weekends. And, um, I think that it beautifully exemplified their story. In addition to just about every other person that I talked to in the series as a whole, [00:53:30] Izolda Trakhtenberg: that is beautiful. And I'm so grateful that you shared that, that moment of, of talking to her and also the story of. Dance halls in general or, or anything that we do because we love it. Um, you know, we, we do it because whatever it is, whatever that thing is that you do, because you love it. And particularly these places where one of the things that I think Evan, that, that you've highlighted, that I think is so [00:54:00] incredible is that you've taken, you've highlighted places that aren't going out for fame. [00:54:08] You know, these are people and places that are just living, doing their thing and living their lives day in and day out, year in and year out. And they're not going to be a celebrity. They're not trying to be world famous for example. And yet you've shown the light on them. And I think that's so it's powerful because of that, because they're living their lives and doing something hopefully that they love, like with the dance hall story. [00:54:35] And they're not looking for accolades and yet you've given them a platform. And I'm so grateful that you've [00:54:43] Evan Stern: done that. Well, I will say it's not even that. I think a lot of them as well, feel a responsibility to the people who go to these places, you know, like a dive bar, isn't just a place to grab a beer. [00:54:58] You know, a dive [00:55:00] bar represents an entire community. Um, you know, a dive bar, a dance hall. These are all places where people go to, to belong. That's that's, that's what, all of the, that's another through line that I think these places have in common, you know, whether it's a barbecue joint, a dive bar, a dance hall, people go to these places for community and for places to belong. [00:55:25] And I think that it's, it's, it's important to highlight that aspect as well. [00:55:31] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Absolutely. I agree. Yeah. Interestingly because people come and go, like you said, there are a lot of people who, who come to Texas, uh, especially Austin has, has ballooned. Uh, I guess the question that's come that's upper. Most of my mind right now is culturally the culture of places changes. [00:55:54] Right? And so, as the culture evolves, I [00:56:00] know that you're a lot of what vanishing postcards is about is, is capturing that before it goes away before it's no longer in its current form. Are there things that you've done that have been, uh, sort of in the process of changing or something is over and something new's coming to take its place? [00:56:21] And if so, what have those things been? [00:56:25] Evan Stern: Um, you mean my work or places I've been. [00:56:30] Izolda Trakhtenberg: I guess I'm not asking the question very well. I'm just wondering about culturally, your vanishing postcards project is focused on sort of the smaller, uh, heart, very heartfelt places in people in Texas now and perhaps, and perhaps hopefully someday elsewhere. [00:56:51] And as, as the culture changes in those places or for those dance halls, have you captured in any of the [00:57:00] episodes that you've done? That change taking place? Absolutely. [00:57:04] Evan Stern: Um, the, the very first place that I went to, um, was a bar called, uh, the, the dry Creek cafe. Um, it's been there for about 70 years. Um, it, when it first opened in the early 1950s, it really basically sat on the edge of the country. [00:57:22] Now, not only is it no longer country, um, it's now pretty much surrounded by mansion's. Um, it's now basically it's this ramshackle dilapidated dive that is surrounded by some of the priciest real estate in all of Texas. Um, but this bar has survived. Um, and I think it's one of the few places that you can go where you're reminded that, you know, before the tech, uh, millionaires invaded the Hills, the Hills were actually home to Cedar choppers, which was this, um, Appalachian subculture. [00:57:55] Um, and, uh, the, the very first person that I interviewed. [00:58:00] In, um, in Texas for the series was angel their bartender. Um, this was a tough day game, you know, raspy voice, you know, just changed smoker, you know, just, just fabulous, you know, just tough as nails, woman. Um, she was incredibly, um, reticent to, uh, to speak with me again, getting her to talk on the record and letting along to record her. [00:58:28] Um, just took every ounce of charm that I could possibly muster. But when she found out that I was okay with cussing, um, she opened right up. She let the F bombs fly. Um, we had a terrific time, um, and, uh, very sadly I think about, um, four months or so. Um, after I, I interviewed her, she died. Um, what was remarkable about angel is, um, as I said, the place opened in, um, I think it was 1950. [00:58:59] [00:59:00] Three. Um, she was only the third bartender to ever work there. Wow. Um, and so I'm incredibly grateful that I, you know, captured her, her voice and I have that record of her. Um, but you know, you have to ask, you know, when, when someone like that goes, you know, um, you know, what does that, how does that change a place? [00:59:22] You know, what does that do? I was actually just back in Austin last week. Um, and I went there to visit the place to, you know, just see if there was some additional footage I could get that would help bring the season two to a close, um, just to kind of see how that change had affected things. Um, and you know, so there, there are analogies, there, there are now like a few bartenders there who are like trading duties and whatnot. [00:59:48] Um, but I think what's kind of beautiful is that those who have filled in, you know, were all regulars, who, who knew and loved and cared about the bar. Um, [01:00:00] and, uh, you know, they dedicated a section of the bar to angel where they have, you know, her pictures and some things that she loved. Um, and, um, it was, it was just kind of interesting and reassuring to see, um, how, you know, yes, you know, when a beloved, you know, figured, uh, leaves, it's hard and it's challenging. [01:00:21] Um, but if the community is there. It will come. It will find a way to continue. At least for now. I'm grateful to see that, to know that the dry Creek is still there and that those who love it, um, are doing their part to, uh, to keep it going. [01:00:38] Izolda Trakhtenberg: I'm so glad to hear that story. That is wonderful. Evan. I want to thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me about this. [01:00:46] It's, it's such an important topic because it isn't one that, that we tend to focus on. So I'm really grateful that you took the time to tell me about vanishing postcards and to tell me about the culture and the people that you are, [01:01:00] uh, Capturing, if you will, for, for all of us, for all of us to enjoy. And I, and if you're listening to this, you need to go check out vanishing postcards. [01:01:08] I've listened to a few episodes and it's fabulous and amazing. Evan. If you wouldn't mind, I would love it. If you would give whatever social media. Uh, that you have so that if people want to find you, that they can. [01:01:22] Evan Stern: Absolutely. So the, um, you know, if you search, uh, vanishing postcards on Instagram, uh, you'll find it there. [01:01:29] Um, it also has a, a, a, a Facebook page, just search vanishing postcards. It should turn up. Um, you can also find me on Instagram as well. I'm at Evan stern NYC. Um, and, um, you know, I thank you so much and oh, and, but most important, most crucially, um, you know, please go find, listen to subscribe to vanishing postcards. [01:01:54] Um, since this is a podcast, uh, you know, whatever, you're listening to this on, I'm quite [01:02:00] confident that you'll find us there. We're on apple, we're on Spotify, we're on all the, uh, you know, whatever platform is out there. We're more than likely on, and I'd be most honored if you'd consider giving us a little. [01:02:12] Izolda Trakhtenberg: Awesome. And I will actually put all of that in the show notes so that if you're listening to this and you've seen the show notes, you'll be seeing the links to all of it. I just, people learn differently. So I like giving both the audio and the sort of, you can read it visual for it. Uh, Evan, again, I'm really grateful that you took the time to chat with me. [01:02:32] Me and I, I have one last question, if that's okay. Of course. It's a question I ask everybody who comes on the show and it's a silly question, but I find that it yields some profound results. Yeah. And the question is this, if you could sky write anything for the whole world to see what would you. [01:02:53] Evan Stern: What would I say for the whole world to see? [01:02:58] Oh my [01:03:00] goodness. Yeah. So I feel like I need to say something profound, like Buddha or something like that now, or Yoda. My goodness. [01:03:11] Izolda Trakhtenberg: I've had people say, eat your veggies. So it does not have to be, [01:03:16] Evan Stern: I mean, it is a cliche. Um, I've, I've heard it many times. Um, but I, I do believe that there is something to be said for the fact that if I were to write this in the sky, I would say luck is the result of preparation meeting opportunity. [01:03:34] I absolutely believe that to be true. Um, I always do my best to be, uh, you know, prepared and, uh, educate myself and, you know, and, and be ready so that, um, you know, when opportunity comes, you know, luck can, can happen. [01:03:53] Izolda Trakhtenberg: I love that. I think that's a great way to end this episode, Evan stern, you are fabulous, and I'm [01:04:00] so glad that you were here. [01:04:01] Thank you. This is the innovative mindset podcast. You have been listening to my wonderful conversation with Evan stern, who is the host of the vanishing postcards podcast, which of course, you know, you need to check out if you're liking what you're hearing, do me a favor, leave a review, let me know comment. [01:04:20] However you'd like to get in touch. I would appreciate it until next time. This is again, Izolda Trakhtenberg reminding you to listen, learn, laugh, and love a whole lot. [01:04:36] thanks so much for joining me today. I really appreciate you being here. Please subscribe to the podcast if you're new and if you like what you're hearing, please review it and rate it and let other people know. And if you'd like to be a sponsor of the show, I'd love to meet you on patrion.com/innovative mindset. [01:04:53] I also have lots of exclusive goodies to share just with the show supporters there today's episode was produced by [01:05:00] Izolda Trakhtenberg and his copyright 2021 as always, please remember, this is for educational and entertainment purposes. Only past performance does not guarantee future results, although we can always hope until next time, keep living in your innovative mindset.   * I am a Brain.fm affiliate. If you purchase it through the above links and take the 20% off, I'll get a small commission. And please remember, I'll never recommend a product or service I don't absolutely love!  

Michael Easter is the author of The Comfort Crisis. He is also a contributing editor at Men's Health magazine, columnist for Outside magazine, and professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His work has appeared in more than sixty countries and can also be found in Men's Journal, New York, Vice, Scientific American, Esquire, and others. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Book Vs Movie: “Heartburn”  The “Nora Ephron is a Queen” Episode   Norah Ephron was one of the most celebrated writers of the 20th Century from her work as an essayist for Esquire to her best-selling novels and screenplays for classic films. She has been honored with Academy Awards, Writer's Guild Awards, and BAFTAs. She was a food writer and movie director. Known for being tough and uncompromising (who fired a child actor after his day on the set of Sleepless in Seattle!) Yet she was a total romantic who enjoyed a happy marriage with fellow writer Nicholas Pileggi.  Her first novel, Heartburn, came out in 1983 and was based on her tumultuous marriage to reporter Carl Bernstein (we talked him in our All the President's Men episode) which ended when he had an affair during her second pregnancy. The “power couple” split and the divorce took years to happen. Mainly because Berstein was concerned about how he would be played in the movie directed by Mike Nichols.  Ephron wrote the screenplay for the 1986 film and due to her divorce decree, she had to make sure the character filling for Bernstein (called “Mark Feldman” as a maybe-nod to Mark Felt. The real “Deep Throat” source for Watergate) had to be portrayed as not a jerk. Nichols and Jack Nicholson (who played the Mark Feldman part) were a part of the divorce negotiations.  Meryl Streep gives an amazing performance as “Rachel Samstat” who loves her husband even though he is having an affair while she is in her second trimester. It's frustrating to hear her character lose her voice in this translation--but we will talk ALL about that in this episode plus the awful reviews some male critics gave the film.  Mostly we talk about the wonderful Norah Ephron and why she is one of the wisest, funniest, and most romantic writers of her generation. So, between the novel and the movie--which did we prefer? (Honestly, it is not going to even be close but have a listen anyway!)  In this ep the Margos discuss: The incredible life of Norah Ephron Her most famous films including When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail.   Carl Bernstein's unusual divorce/lawsuit demands  The cast: Meryl Street (Rachel Samstat,) Jack Nicholson (Jack Forman,)Stockard Channing (Julie Siegel,) Jeff Daniels (Richard,) Milos Forman (Dmitri,) Steven Hill (Harry Samstat,) Catherine O'Hara (Betty,) Mamie Gummer (Annie,) Maureen Stapleton (Vera,) and Mercedes Ruehl as Eve. Clips used: Rachel has a hallucination Heartburn trailer Rachel confronts Mark about his cheating  Rachel hits Mark in the face with a pie Music: Coming Around Again by Carly Simon Book Vs Movie is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find more podcasts you will love Frolic.Media/podcasts .  Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie  Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/ Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/  Our logo was designed by Madeleine Gainey/Studio 39 Marketing Follow on Instagram @Studio39Marketing & @musicalmadeleine 

Travis M. Andrews is an author and staff writer for the Washington Post's style section, where he covers internet, pop culture, and the ways we live now. Previously, he was an associate travel and culture editor for Southern Living and a contributing pop culture reporter for Mashable and The Week. He has also written for Time, Esquire, GQ, and the Atlantic, among others. He lives in Washington, D.C., where he acquiesces to the every wish of his puppy Stevie Nix and misses his native New Orleans. His new book, BECAUSE HE'S JEFF GOLDBLUM: THE MOVIES, MEMES, AND MEANING OF HOLLYWOOD'S MOST ENIGMATIC ACTOR released in May, 2021, and is in stores now! https://www.amazon.com/Because-Hes-Jeff-Goldblum-Hollywoods/dp/1524746037 https://twitter.com/travismandrews

The pod is BACK! Old friend, super-journalist and whiskey personality Aaron Goldfarb joins the SmokyBeast in his kitchen. They discuss his many books (Hacking Whiskey, Gather Around Cocktails, etc.), the joys of fatherhood, and beaver anus whiskey. Find Aaron's work in Esquire, PUNCH, VinePair, and the Whiskey Advocate.  They taste through our Ezra Brooks, Starlight and Starbright, Knob Creek and Lucky 7.  Clink!

Lisa is solo today and joining her is Zakiya Dalila Harris who spent nearly three years in book publishing before leaving to write her debut novel The Other Black Girl which she and Lisa talk about in this interview. Prior to working in publishing, Zakiya received her MFA in creative writing from The New School. Her essays and book reviews have appeared in Guernica and The Rumpus. She lives in Brooklyn.Here are some of the things Lisa asks Zakiya.  Listen to the interview to hear all of the questions and answers:In your book, a young woman Nella Rogers has been the only black person working at Wagner Books, a publishing house in Manhattan.  She has to deal with a lot of microaggressions from her white co-workers and one day, another black woman shows up at Wagner.  Nella is thinking, we can talk about black music, black hair, commiserate about micro-aggressions, but things go another way.   Have you had an experience like Nella, feeling both hyper-visible and ignored? Let's talk hair.  I love how you focused on the ways hair can both connect and divide black women. Not only can hair be a divider but Nella and Hazel are pitted against each other in meetings, Hazel playing both sides, publicly siding with white insensitive co-workers and telling Nella in private that she supports her.  Can you expand on this? One of the things Sunni and I talk about is showing up to work, to life in general after the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmed Arbury, George Floyd and so many others.  Nella feels the trauma but still has to show up to work with a smile.  Can you talk about this in your own life?  One of the first things I noticed was the way you play with structure and how readers occasionally jump between the present and the past in different chapters. When did the structure come to you? Book description:  INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA Good Morning America, Esquire, and Read with Marie Claire Book Club Pick and a People Best Book of SummerNamed a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Time, The Washington Post, Harper's Bazaar, Entertainment Weekly, Marie Claire, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Parade, Goodreads, Fortune, and BBC​​Urgent, propulsive, and sharp as a knife, The Other Black Girl is an electric debut about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing.Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she's thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They've only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.Then the notes begin to appear on Nella's desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.It's hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there's a lot more at stake than just her career.A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.

Brad, Justin and the Cinemaiden from the Cinema Guys Podcast stop by to talk about their history and the upcoming screening of the film, The Monuments Men. We also take a look at our special exhibition, Paintings, Politics and the Monuments Men. Cinema Guys Podcast: http://wearethecinemaguys.com/ Learn more about the exhibition: https://cincinnatiartmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/paintings-politics-and-the-monuments-men/ The Monuments Men Screening at the Esquire: https://esquiretheatre.com/page/15596/THE-MONUMENTS-MEN For more info and other programs, visit: www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org Theme song: Offrande Musicale by Bacalao Take our survey: bit.ly/ArtPalaceSurvey

Talented and hilarious Justin Kirkland, Culture Writer for Esquire, has arrived as guest this week to discuss legs, fraternities, and Dolly Parton. First, Dave and Justin start out by reviewing the new Netflix doc, Pray Away. Then must address the breaking news of Britney Spears finally being free (sorta). Matt and Dave ask Justin about his Cher-loving Dad, how he met his current partner on vacation in Europe, his podcast dedicated to Dolly Parton (My Year with Dolly), old episodes of Roseanne, Lorde's new single, and Shonda Rhimes Master Class.

Spin Master Entertainment president and Paw Patrol producer Jennifer Dodge tells us how the popular animated kids series became a Canadian success story, and why now was the time to let these puppies loose on the big screen in Paw Patrol: The Movie. The Simpsons writer Tim Long shares how growing up in the small town of Exeter, Ont., inspired his first feature film, The Exchange, about a socially awkward teen who decides to import a mail-order best friend from France. Legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins and former Esquire magazine art director Robert Benton take us back to a day in 1958 when Art Kane's iconic jazz photo, A Great Day in Harlem, was shot in New York. Grammy-winning producer Narada Michael Walden reflects on his hitmaking career with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, revealing the one special thing they all had in common that made them masters of their craft.

What happens when one of—if not the—greatest restaurants in the world suddenly goes 100% plant-based?For perspective, out of the 132 three-star Michelin star restaurants around the world, not a single one is vegan. Suffice it to say, most would say such a move is tantamount to financial suicide.But Chef Daniel Humm—the world-renown chef and owner of Eleven Madison Park—sees it as the greatest purpose-driven, creative challenge of his lifetime.A former pro cyclist and 2:51 marathoner, this Swiss native began cooking at 14, preparing exquisite meals in some of the finest Swiss hotels and restaurants before earning his first Michelin star at the age of 24. In 2003, he moved to the U.S. to become the executive chef at Campton Place in San Francisco, where he received four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle. Three years later, he moved to New York to become the executive chef at Eleven Madison Park, revitalizing the restaurant so completely that in 2017 it was named #1 on the coveted list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants.Like most restaurants, when the pandemic hit Eleven Madison Park closed its doors and grappled with bankruptcy. But it was during this time that Daniel started thinking more deeply about purpose. What he stands for. How he could leverage his talent and resources to meaningfully participate in solutions to food insecurity and the inherently unsustainable nature of food systems more broadly.Bold leaps followed. He converted the EMP kitchen into a commissary to provide free meals to food-insecure New Yorkers. He kitted out a food truck to distribute those meals. He partnered with Rethink Food, a non-profit committed to creating sustainable and equitable food systems, to work on solving food inequality at scale. But his coup de grace involved re-opening the most revered restaurant in the world with a completely plant-based menu—and ensuring that every EMP meal enjoyed pays for five meals freely distributed to those in need.It's a move that sent shockwaves throughout the food world. But Daniel's bet is more than paying off, denoted by a waitlist that currently exceeds 15,000 people.On the very day Eleven Madison Park announced its new menu, I committed to making this podcast happen. My friend, past podcast guest, and former Esquire magazine Food & Drinks editor Jeff Gordinier connected the dots. In turn, Daniel agreed to do the show. But there was a condition: first I must dine at EMP. Deal. I immediately booked a flight to NYC. I joined Jeff for said dinner—an exquisite experience like no other—and the day following convened with Daniel for this exchange.This conversation is about why cuisine at the highest level—food as art—plays a vital role in moving culture forward. It's about what makes a great chef. What pursuing a passion truly entails. And the magic of embracing constant reinvention.It's also about the role that art, minimalism and essentialism have played in the evolution of Daniel's craft and life philosophy.But more than anything, this is a deeply personal tale of evolution. It's about the search for purpose beyond accolades—and what it means to devote your talents in service of a better world.To read more click here. You can also watch our exchange on YouTube (Audio Only). And as always, the podcast streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Special Thanks to Daniel's team for arranging this dining & podcasting experience and to Joseph Hazan at Newsstand Studio in Rockefeller Center for allowing us to record in his facility. Also, gratitude to photographers Sebastian Nevols (kitchen portrait) and Craig McDean (black & white portraits) for permitting use of their images.Now one of the most important and influential figures in the plant-based movement, it was a privilege to experience Daniel's talents and company. And it's an honor to share this fascinating exchange with you today.My hope is that his words inspire you to deeply rethink your personal capabilities—and to see that the answers you seek lie within.Peace + Plants,Listen, Watch & SubscribeApple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify | Stitcher | Google PodcastsThanks to this week's sponsors:Athletic Greens: 75 whole food sourced ingredients designed to optimize 5 key areas of health, Athletic Greens is the delicious daily habit that sets you up for a healthy future. I take the packets everywhere I go. Invest in your health without compromise! Go to: athleticgreens.com/richroll to get a FREE year supply of Vitamin D ​AND​ 5 free travel packs​ with your first purchase.Calm: The app designed to help you ease stress and get the best sleep of your life with guided meditations, sleep stories, and more. Right now, my listeners can get a special limited-time promotion of 40% off a Calm Premium subscription at calm.com/richroll. It includes unlimited access to ALL of Calm's amazing content. Get started today!Indeed delivers 4x more hires than all other job sites combined, so you can meet and hire great people faster. There are no long-term contracts and Indeed gives you full control so you only pay for what you need. Listeners can get a FREE SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLAR CREDITto upgrade your job post at indeed.com/RICHROLL. Terms and conditions apply.Whoop: The world's most powerful fitness tracker. Get smarter about how you sleep, recover, and train, so you can unlock your best self. Go to WHOOP.com and use the promo code Richroll at checkout to save 15% off WHOOP.For a complete list of all RRP sponsors, vanity URLs & discount codes, visit Our Sponsors.Show Notes:Connect with Daniel Humm: Website | Facebook | InstagramEleven Madison Park: About | InstagramEleven Madison Truck: AboutTEDX: Ending Hunger in America | Daniel HummRethink Food: MissionEsquire: The Passion of Daniel Humm, the Greatest Chef in AmericaWall Street Journal: Daniel Humm's New Eleven Madison Park Menu Will Be Meat-FreeNew York Times: A Restaurant of Many Stars Raises the AnteNew York Times: The New Menu at Eleven Madison Park Will Be MeatlessNew York Times: For the Chef Daniel Humm, Less Is More. On His Wall, Too.New York Times: At Eleven Madison Park, a New MinimalismNPR: Eleven Madison Park Revamps Menu To Be Entirely Plant-BasedGrub Street: ‘Were You in Veggie Nirvana?' An amateur vegan and a professional food critic on Eleven Madison Park's all-plant menu.Bloomberg: We Ate Eleven Madison Park's $335 Vegan Menu, and Here Is What It's LikeBloomberg: Eleven Madison Park Is Going Vegan Because Kobe Beef Is BasicFine Dining Lovers: Vegan Eleven Madison Park's Waitlist Exceeds 15,000Fine Dining Lovers: The Dishes from EMP's New Plant-Based MenuEater: Chef Daniel Humm Is Relaunching Eleven Madison Park as an All-Vegan RestaurantZagat Stories: Matt Jozwiak And Daniel Humm Take The Fight Against Hunger NationwideRestaurant Manifesto: Daniel Humm Is Fully Committed To VegetablesHOW CAN I SUPPORT THE PODCAST?Tell Your Friends & Share Online!Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | Soundcloud | Google PodcastsDonate: Check out our Patreon accountSupport The Sponsors: One of the best ways to support the podcast is to support our sponsors. For a complete list of all RRP sponsors and their respective vanity url's and discount codes, visit my Resources page and click "Sponsors".Thank The Team: I do not do this alone. Send your love to Jason Camiolo for audio engineering, production, show notes and interstitial music; Margo Lubin and Blake Curtis for video, & editing; graphics by Jessica Miranda & Daniel Solis; portraits by Ali Rogers, Davy Greenberg & Grayson Wilder; copywriting by Georgia Whaley; and theme music by Tyler Piatt, Trapper Piatt & Hari Mathis. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.