Podcasts about Frank Reynolds

"The gang discovers the perks of being handicapped when Charlie becomes wheelchair-bound after getting hit by Dennis' car. Meanwhile, Dennis and Dee's estranged father, Frank Reynolds, returns to town to reconnect with his kids." -Original Air Date: 6/29/2006- This week we're talking about Charlie Gets Crippled, an answer to the Ivy-League question we had last week, a prominent character introduction with Frank Reynolds and more "future-famous" people as extras. This is No Hugging, No Learning, the show about one thing...watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for the first time. Want more NHNL? Next week's episode drops early on Patreon! You can now join the It's a Hyundai tier for FREE for the first 7 days, and then just $5/month after that. You'll get every episode one week early with all of the extra content that we usually clip out of each release and movie reviews from the Seinfeld Extended Universe. Join Us at patreon.com/nohugging As a reminder, don't sign up for this inside the Patreon app - use a web browser on your phone or computer! You will be charged more for signing up inside the app (and that extra money does NOT go to us) Wanna start your own podcast? Do it with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free podcasting service with our Libsyn code HUGGING. Get a FREE No Hugging, No Learning sticker by giving us a 5 star rating and a written review wherever you listen to this! Just be sure to send us your address! Email us: nohuggingnolearningshow@gmail.com Follow us!  @nohugging on X @nohugging_nolearning on Instagram @nohugging.bsky.social on Bluesky Music: "The Gang Gets Trapped" by Reed Streets

This week on the Exciting and New podcast Jason, Andy and Dana welcome Brian back on the podcast to discuss the 1985 comedy Head Office.  Brian has been talking about this movie since this podcast started, and we felt if we were ever going to get him back, this was the time to do it.   Luckily for him, this trainwreck came out in 1985.  Dark Helmet and Frank Reynolds lead an all start cast, but don't even worry about them.  They'll be dead soon.  This movie might have a laugh or two, but we were expecting so much more.  But we got Brian back, and that is all that really matters.  Enjoy the podcast (but skip the movie, free on YouTube)!

What role do utilities play in strengthening small businesses and the economy? This week on MissionCTRL, Ramon and Kevin sit down with Frank Reynolds, President and CEO of United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG), and Connecticut Natural Gas (CNG), to explore the critical connection between energy, entrepreneurship, and economic growth.Frank shares insights into the Energize CT Small Business Energy Advantage Program (SBEA) which provides incentives to small businesses to make energy efficiency improvements, to help manage their monthly bills and reduce their carbon footprint. He highlights real-world examples, such as Duffy's Tavern in West Haven benefited from the program, reinforcing the idea that when small businesses thrive, everyone does. Beyond his corporate leadership, Frank's journey is one of resilience and service. Born in Jamaica and raised in Connecticut, he navigated personal loss, military service, and career pivots to become a top executive in the utilities industry. From his time in the military - where he led teams while earning his degree - to his transition from manufacturing to energy, Frank's leadership philosophy is shaped by experience, adaptability, and a commitment to progress. Tune in as the MissionCTRL team dives into what makes a great leader, how utilities fuel business success, and why ensuring reliable energy is just as crucial at work as it is at home. If you're interested in economic development, leadership, and the future of utilities, this is one episode you won't want to miss!•••Find full episodes of Mission CTRL on Anchor, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and our website.Mission CTRL aims to ignite the innovative spirit inside us all through providing budding and successful entrepreneurs and community leaders with a platform to share their stories and inspire others. Tune in every Wednesday and catch up with the team at Peralta Design as we unleash the origin stories behind some exceptional leaders, share marketing/branding insights, and navigate the ever-changing currents of pop culture.Subscribe for more weekly branding and entrepreneurial content here! To learn more about Peralta Design's work visit peraltadesign.com.#welaunchbrands #launchyourbrand #BrandU #missionctrl #mctrl #digitalagency #mbeagency #mbe #digital #branding #marketing #web #creative #contentcreator #contentstrategy #marketingstrategy #leadership #leader #entrepreneur #entrepreneurs #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurial #startup #startups #business #businessowner #businesstips #scalingyourbusiness #smallbusiness #w2 #fulltime #9to5 #office #officelife #corporate #podcast #podcasts #podcastshow #businesspodcast #lifestory #lifestories #personalstory #personalstories #video #photography

In this episode Craig Lake and Dan McNair discuss the HBO/MAX show The Last Of Us Season 1 Episode 1 When You're Lost in the Darkness, It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia Season 7 Episode 3 Frank Reynolds' Little Beauties, AND Arrested Development Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot. Special guest co-host Greg Dow. @gregdowmagicPlease continue to join us for our coverage of The Last of Us Season 1 on the way to Season 2 coming this spring. Also make sure to join us for the return of the Shauna is the Worst Podcast covering Yellowjackets Season 3 in February. X @prestige_ish Instagram @prestigeishmedia X/Instagram @realrealbatman @danmcnair1017 http://prestigeish.comSpoiler Warning 15:00-17:05: Some Penguin finale discussion. Audio issue notice: Our guest host had some audio issues. We did our best to clean it up, but is an episode specific issue. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

EI's Angus Reilly is joined by Luke A. Nichter, author of The Year that Broke Politics: Collusion and Chaos in the Presidential Election of 1968, to discuss Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Nixon, and the battle for the future of America in a year that offers notable parallels to the election of 2024. Engelsberg Ideas is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit. EI Talks... is produced by Alastair Benn. The sound engineer is Gareth Jones. Image: Television presenter Frank Reynolds covering the 1968 election. Credit: Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo 

To modernize infrastructure or optimize for reliability—that's the question utility leaders like Frank Reynolds, President and CEO of United Illuminating, are facing on a daily basis. The need to transition to cleaner energy sources and address the challenges of aging infrastructure are often at odds with utilities' efforts to maintain reliable power delivery. So which do you choose? And can you have it all? Today on Power Perspectives, Frank guides host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester through key topics impacting his work in Connecticut, including... - The relationship between utilities and regulators - The impact of performance-based regulation - How United Illuminating is navigating financial and operational hurdles If you want to learn how this utility leader is steering a company through unprecedented times—all while embracing innovation and the future of clean energy in Connecticut—this episode is for you. Key Links Energy Central Post with Full Episode Transcript: https://energycentral.com/c/pip/episode-183-how-utility-ceo-balances-innovation-reliability-frank-reynolds Ask a Question to Our Future Guests: Do you have a burning question for the utility executives and energy industry thought leaders that we feature each week on Power Perspectives? Leave us a message here for your chance to be featured in an upcoming episode: www.speakpipe.com/EnergyCentralPodcast

This week on the pod we welcome back our friend Bill Kenney to discuss the CV of Mr. Danny DeVito. Transcript:Track 2:[0:41] Thank you, Doug DeNance. My name falls off a cliff. And now, J.D. Welcome to the SNL Hall of Fame podcast. My name is J.D., and it is great to be here with you all. I am just fumbling with my keys to get into the Hall of Fame. While I'm doing that, I will wipe my feet. Do the same would you come on in as we prepare to go to a conversation with our friend thomas senna and our equally good friend bill kenny is back to join us and they are here to discuss danny devito now before we go any further i want to just make sure everyone is aware of our new you email address. It is the SNL hall of fame at gmail.com. That's correct. I chose the maximum number of letters I could choose for the prefix, the SNL hall of fame at gmail.com.Track 2:[1:44] It might seem trivial to you, but, uh, we love to hear from you. So send us those emails, review the pod and for heaven's sake listen to the snl water cooler it's our brand new show on the snl hall of fame and uh we have sherry fesco and joe gannon joining me once a week to discuss the week that was in the snl hall of fame and we touch upon the current episode of snl as well where we identify the Hall of Shame and the Hall of Fame moments of that particular episode. I am out of breath because I have been racing down the hall to catch up with our friend Matt Ardill, and we should probably do that.Track 3:[2:33] So I'm going to make a confession here. Even though the show has been on for coming up to 20 seasons, and this gentleman has been on most of those seasons, I haven't seen a single flippin' episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. And this week we're talking about one of its actors and somebody who's got a long resume dating back to Taxi, at least. I'm sure there's more before that. But let's go to our friend Matt Ardill and learn some more about this week's nominee, Denny DeVito. Hey, Denny. Thanks. I am shocked. i genuinely you can't jump in with the nightmare nightmare episode that would just be too much of a system shock but if you ever have the chance it's it's it is dark but it is funny so i highly recommend always sunny um but yeah so i'm looking forward danny is a great a great actor um, 4'10", born November 17th, 1944, who shares the birthday with Lorne Michaels. So same birthday.Track 3:[3:49] So he's born in Neptune, New Jersey, grew up in a family of five, and was raised in Ashbury Park, New Jersey. He would frequently eat at Jersey Mike's, which he grew up just down the street from the first location, which is why in 2022, he became the spokesperson for the subway chain, Jersey Mike's. He just loved it. And Danny is a person who follows his passions.Track 3:[4:17] He was sent to boarding school to keep him out of trouble. He graduated in 1962 and then took a job at his older sister's beautician salon. She paid for him to get his beautician certification, which led to him getting a certificate in makeup at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. But to get that, the teacher said he had to sign up because she couldn't just teach him on the side. He had to be a student of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, so he signed up and found his passion for acting after only a single semester at the school. Cool. Wildly enough, one of his sister's partners at the hair salon was a relative of a future colleague of his, Jack Nicholson, with whom he performed on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. That's right.Track 3:[5:23] This eventually became a prolific career, including 154 acting credits, 49 producer credits, 23 director credits, 16 soundtrack credits and four writing credits. I mean, how can we forget his performance of Troll Toll in the Dayman musical on Always Sunny? I mean, it's the weirdest one of his ever, his experience, his performances.Track 3:[5:52] But I do have to say, I was shocked to also see that he performed Put Down the Ducky on the Sesame Street Put Down the Ducky TV movie. His range is truly epic in scope um now after starting as an actor he actually shared a small apartment with michael douglas and they remain friends to this day um during his time uh in new york he actually met his now estranged wife rhea perlman well in the off-broadway play the shrinking bride uh they then went on to get a grant from the american film institute together and write the and produce minestrone a short film in 1975 which screened at con and has.Track 3:[6:42] Since been translated into five languages um he was the original casting choice for mario in the 1993 super mario's movie uh dropping out i'm guessing after seeing the script uh condemning bob hoskins to infamy um now he this is another one of those like i i'm kind of glad they didn't cast make this choice uh because i don't think it would have worked but he was almost george costanza what he almost he was in consideration for the role of george costanza it wouldn't have worked it would it's it's the wrong energy but it would have been wild to see Now he has been nominated for Best Picture for Aaron Brockovich.Track 3:[7:30] Along with NOMS for Batman Returns, American Comedy Writing Awards, Berlin International Film Festival Awards, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, BAFTAs, Cable A's, Emmys.Track 3:[7:43] And more. He is so award-nominated, it's hard to keep track. But one of his earliest big wins was a 1981 Emmy for Taxi, which revolved around buying a pair of pants. About how he was so short and so round, he had to go to the Husky Boys section to get pants as an adult. And that was the plot in a Taxi episode that won him his first Emmy. Um, he commits, uh, like during his time as the penguin in those scenes where you see him like noshing on raw fish, that is actual raw fish that he is just tearing into, uh, not fake fish. Um, he is very famous, uh, on social media for his troll foot pictures where he will travel around the world and just take pictures of his great old big troll feet. Um, and in fact own, he is such a fan of Lemoncello. He has actually opened his own Lemoncello, uh, manufacturing plant simply named Lemoncello by Danny DeVito. Well, short and sweet, I suppose you might say.Track 2:[9:03] Of course you might not say as well. There's both options on the table. So let's get right to thomas and our friend bill kenny as they continue to talk about danny devito take it away thomas.Track 4:[9:48] Alright, JD and Matt, thank you so much for that. Hello and welcome to the conversation portion of this episode of the SNL Hall of Fame. Season 6 and we are rolling in this season. It's been a really good one. Talking about lots of great hosts, cast members, musical guests, etc.Track 4:[10:07] Today we're dipping into the host category. A six-timer? If you, well, it depends. I'll ask Bill about this. But yeah, so there's maybe a little caveat to this, but he's at least a five-timer. We consider him a six-timer. It's Danny DeVito today on the SNL Hall of Fame. And with that, of course, Bill Kenney, just amazing SNL knowledge with the Saturday Night Network, a man who mingles with the stars, with Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi. So he, yeah, he's he. But he kind of stepped down in weight class a little bit, and he's appearing with me here on the SNL Hall of Fame. Bill, thanks for joining me. Thomas, thank you for having me back. This is always such a good time. Listen, I mean, you're a celebrity in your own right, so let's not bury the lead here.Track 4:[11:01] Dan Aykroyd is fine, but the conversation is going to be great with this. Always a good time to talk to you. I appreciate that, man. So you've done a host before, Martin Short. We had such a blast with that Marty Short episode. And I know you're a Danny DeVito fan, so I had to ask you. He's one of the names that I threw out, and you jumped on Danny right away. So before we get started in that, I'm curious, what's going on over at the Saturday Night Network? We just started celebrating Season 50 of Saturday Night Live, a couple episodes into it. What's going on there as far as continuing the celebration here? Yeah, if you haven't checked us out in a while, please do so.Track 4:[11:44] During show weeks, we have a lot of great content from our Hot Take show, which is right after SNL on Saturday night at 1.10 a.m. We also have our roundtables, which dive deeper into the sketches. And then By the Numbers is every Wednesday, and we talk about the statistics, which is where we made our bones at the beginning of our podcast so and then of course there's lots of other content we do in off weeks uh during the summer we just uh did the greatest host countdown of all time thomas you joined us for one of the last episodes of that we had a lot of fun uh breaking that down and uh i think that's where the danny devito uh stuff started right because he was on the very first episode of the host countdown that we did and uh we all agreed, that it was way too low, and I can't wait to talk about that as well.Track 4:[12:36] Yeah, 100%. And I heard how much love you had for Danny and his hosting gigs and stuff. So I had to kind of like throw his name out there for you in the off season. So I love the stuff that you do in the off weeks in the off season. That's where all of us like dorks can roll up our sleeves and get get into like brass tacks about SNL. So I love that you guys do different drafts. There's different like neat concept shows. That's when the dorks thrive, Bill.Track 4:[13:03] Oh, without a doubt. That's when we have, we've had a lot of great stuff like SNL stories, which we talked to alumni, you kind of referenced Dan Aykroyd. We did a Blues Brothers, we went to a Blues Brothers convention, James Stevens and I, another podcaster, and we got to talk to Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd there. So that was a lot of fun. But we've talked to Mary Gross and Gary Kroger, a whole host of people who have had some association with SNL through the years. So that's always a lot of fun, too. So check that out as well. And then, of course, everything you need to know about SNL. And this will be the final plug, Thomas. We don't want to bog it down too much. But John and James have been doing that every week. And it's kind of these 15-minute mini episodes of kind of a starter's guide to SNL. Starting with season one going through. So if you don't have the time, like Thomas and I do, to sit through 30 episodes of SNL in a week, you can go watch this for 15 minutes and kind of satiate your thirst for it.Track 4:[14:09] Now, recently, John was a guest of mine and Deremy's on our other podcast, Pop Culture 5. We did six essential SNL sketches. And I was telling John, like, the everything you need to know about SNL. Those videos are some of my favorite content on YouTube. Just in general. Like, the editing's immaculate. The content is great. It looks great. It sounds great. It's just, like, that's one of my favorite things on YouTube that I look forward to. Yeah, without a doubt. And even people like us who know so much about SNL, it's still good to go back and be able to watch these and remember, what season was that in? Oh, yeah, that's right. So it kind of gives you, you know, jumpstart your brain as far as SNL. If you're not doing it already, make sure to check out all the great content they have over at the Saturday Night Network. Today, we're going to get into Danny DeVito as a host. So a little brief background, Danny did a lot of acting throughout the 70s, mostly playing bit parts. He was in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a decent amount of screen time. He basically said nothing in that movie, but he was just kind of there smiling and grinning while Jack Nicholson did his thing. He got his big break, though, starring in Taxi from 1978 to 1983. Bill, how did you become acquainted with the peculiar and unique person that is Danny DeVito?Track 4:[15:37] Definitely Taxi. And there was a different time back then where we would watch more mature shows like Taxi as kids because we only had three channels. But it was on this killer Tuesday night ABC lineup with Happy Days and Laverna Shirley and shows like that. And it was, you know, if you've liked Cheers, it's kind of the Cheers that people have forgotten about. It was set in this cab company in New York. And Danny played this very kind of volatile role, you know, scoundrel with a heart of gold as the years went on and you got to see. But that was where I met him. And it's still a great show. It's something I like to go back and watch every now and then. And it still holds up after all these years. It's a stellar ensemble. Yeah, it's one that I keep meaning to go back and try to rewatch. I used to catch episodes every now and then on Nick at Night.Track 4:[16:32] And then maybe MASH would come on or something. I'd hear the music and then that was time for me to go to sleep. But I would catch Taxi sometimes on Nick at Night. Probably for me, watching Twins, Throw Mama from the Train, kind of things of that nature. I really started appreciating Danny and his quirks. And he had this presence about him that far exceeded his stature, you know what I'm saying? So the way he was able to command the screen, it was almost like a Joe Pesci in a way, even though Danny maybe was less menacing, but he was still that kind of intense guy who would just take over the screen, I think, Bill. Yeah, I wonder how people view him, younger people view him today, because, I mean, he was a legitimate movie star. You mentioned some of them. I mean, from starting around 84, 85, he's in a hit almost every year for the next 10 years. You know, Romancing the Stone, War of the Roses, gets into the 90s and he's in Hoffa and Batman Returns, gets shorty. So there's always something going on with Danny. He compensates his short stature with just a commanding performance, no matter what he's in.Track 4:[17:45] Well, I'm really happy. I think a lot of the younger folks still watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Philadelphia so they really like enjoy Danny DeVito from that so it's funny to talk to like my niece is a big uh it's always sunny fan and so it's funny I tell her like have you seen Danny in this have you watched this have you seen his SNL hosting gigs like you need to go check out Danny like pre it's always sunny but I'm glad that the younger generation is getting a little taste uh of DeVito on it's always sunny is that something that you've checked out Bill oh my One of my favorite shows outside of SNL. Yeah, still. I mean, that's something that if I just need to have something on in the background, I'm going to Always Sunny and throwing on an episode. Because it's been on for 18 years at this point, almost 19 years. Yeah. And it still holds up. I mean, it really, it's the dirtier friends or Seinfeld or however you want to look at it. people with no soul who just kind of found each other in this crazy world and don't give a shit what they do to anybody else. And Danny is a huge part of that. He probably saved that show because he wasn't in the first season of that and was able to kind of boost it up.Track 4:[18:57] Make it what it is. Yeah, absolutely. It definitely wouldn't be around without Danny. I think the other core guys like Rob and Glenn and Charlie and them, Caitlin, would tell you that Danny probably saved the show. So I'm really just happy that the younger folks, some of whom probably shouldn't be watching It's Always Sunny, but be that as it may, that they get to appreciate Danny. We talked about, obviously, some of his trademarks, like his stature, his offbeat personality. One thing, especially watching these episodes, and it relates back to something that I've noticed or talked about with other hosts who I consider great, is that Danny's a really good actor.Track 4:[19:41] And that serves him well in committing to these sketches. We just talked about on the S&N host countdown and on the SNL Hall of Fame, Adam Driver, who's a good actor and that serves him well. Danny, you know, I think, like I said, his stature, his kind of weird personality sometimes, I think that kind of overshadows that he's a good actor, Bill, and it serves him well in these sketches.Track 4:[20:07] Matches. Yeah, and it's very interesting to see when he came into SNL. You know, you can say a lot about the Ebersole years that didn't work. I think one of the things that definitely did work is that he found hosts that were kind of outside the box. There was no reason in 1982 to bring a Danny DeVito into the show. Now, this predates most of his movies. He is on Taxi, of course, but he's the the third or fourth or fifth lead on that show but ebersole saw something in him and decided to bring him in uh i mean it's one of those seasons in season seven where we get so many unique we get the smothers brothers we get olivia newton john right after this which is kind of outside of uh normal thinking as well uh and so he just kind of fits into this one of the wackiest seasons of snl we've ever had. And he just, he meshes immediately with the people he's working with. They feel comfortable putting him in recurring sketches immediately and some original pieces as well. So right out of the gate, we get to see what Dan does.Track 4:[21:14] Yeah, so he first appeared season seven toward the end, episode 19. That was in May of 1982.Track 4:[21:21] Interesting timing. And I think it's kind of funny. I almost wonder if Ebersole and NBC brought him on as like maybe to brag on ABC. A little bit, a little bit of a friendly competition there because Taxi had just been canceled, Bill. And that was what his monologue was all about, Taxi having been canceled by ABC. This afternoon, my little immigrant Italian mother, she gave me this letter. She said to me, Danny, I want you to read this on the national TV.Track 4:[22:03] Son, you have been besmirched by men so shallow that they do not know the depths to which their deeds have taken them.Track 4:[22:16] And funny enough, about a month after this aired, NBC picked up Taxi for one final season. So that's the funny side of it. But I find this monologue fascinating because you know i can't think of another monologue in the history of the show that's like this it's very very unique so he as you say you know they're kind of giving a swan song to to taxi and he brings out the entire cast now we've we've seen cameos when when tv stars have hosted before uh the most recent i can think of is like steve carell bringing in and Jenna Fisher, and a couple other people from the office, but to have the entire cast of a show from another network.Track 4:[23:01] Come on to the stage to kind of take their final bow. And it's the only time in the history of the show that we see Judd Hirsch, Mary Lou Henner, Christopher Lloyd. These are big names. These are people who go on to do a lot of different things, and they never appear on SNL at any other point. So that is very, very intriguing to me, that they gave Danny the freedom to do this and find a way to make this one of the most unique monologues in the history of the show. Yeah, it totally is. And just seeing who they would become. People still know Judd Hirsch. He just recently appeared in The Fablemans not too long ago. Christopher Lloyd, obviously, who would go on to do Back to the Future. Who framed Roger Rabbit after that? Tony Danza. So Tony Danza did host SNL. Tony Danza does come back and host, yeah. A couple times.Track 4:[23:52] Yeah yeah but he's really the only one he's the only one andy kaufman comes out uh in his neck brace he's still in the middle of the whole wrestling jerry lawler thing so he has to come out sporting the neck brace kind of keep kayfabe alive uh there but this was neat i love danny's calling out like abc the american broadcasting corporation is the one who canceled us and i'm sure nbc had i if they didn't already had signed the contracts they had ideas probably of like, we're bringing in Taxi into the family, so let's do this. No, I agree. It was just so cool to see all those people on stage. Mary Lou Henner. Yeah. Yeah, it was just so cool to see all those people on stage. I enjoyed it. It was simple, but I enjoyed getting to know Danny and seeing the rest of the cast of Taxi. Yeah, exactly. And it was such a great segue into the next piece where you get to see this pre-tape.Track 4:[24:45] With the opening credits to Taxi, basically, until it cuts to danny getting out of the taxi looking at the building at the abc building and kind of mulling in his mind now this is not something after 9-11 we would ever see again i'm sure right but at the time it was very very humorous and still very funny if you if you can look at it in the frame of where it's at and uh he's mulling what he should do and then decides to blow up abc and drives away like are you serious we're we're on a network television show granted at 11 30 at night and we have the star of another network show blowing up that network like absolutely bananas yeah yeah yeah i doubt that would happen today for for a few reasons i mean of course you mentioned the obvious one but yeah network on network crime doesn't seem to be happening much more they seem to be more buddies you had the uh the late night hosts on cbs nbc and abc doing a whole podcast together during during exactly yeah that wouldn't happen yeah yeah that's when there was competition and rivalry no that was great and we gave he they gave the people what they wanted he's coming from taxi he's familiar with taxi so right away let's do a test so let's do something taxi related that's what we saw with adam driver and first thing, in his first episode, he was Kylo Ren, doing a sketch as Kylo Ren. So we're kind of giving the people what we want, Bill. You like that as a viewer?Track 4:[26:15] Sure, absolutely. And to put yourself in the mindset of a 1982 viewer, you know, the.Track 4:[26:22] Network shows where you were attached to them in a way, I think that is not quite the same today. There are shows like that, obviously, that people still attach themselves to and things like that. But when popular shows that weren't quite getting the ratings that the networks wanted were canceled, people would petition, would not riot in the streets, but they would get to a point where they would do whatever they could to try to bring the show back. And I think this is a perfect example of that. And to have this kind of moment in time encapsulated on SNL is really, really interesting. Yeah, 100%. Just like a bygone era of network TV. It's like a really neat time capsule to see. I think he was kind of light, though, on sketches. I think he did really well this episode. Just a little light on sketches. Were there any highlights that you wanted to talk about from his first hosting gig here? Yeah. One of the interesting things, and this has come up on the host countdown on the SNN.Track 4:[27:22] It's hard to explain to people who haven't gone back and watched pre-2000 that SNL didn't lean on its host as much as they do today. Today you'll get them in 10, 11 sketches sometimes or segments. They didn't always do that back then. And you're right. There isn't as much here. In fact, I think the last 20 minutes of the show we don't even see him. Right. He just kind of disappeared. Like, that's just crazy to think about. I don't know if his makeup from Pudge and Solomon was, like, hard to get off, so they just kind of, like, said, take the rest of the night off or something. Yeah, exactly. Like, how did that come to be? But, yeah, he just kind of completely disappears. But, yeah, Solomon and Pudge is a great one to talk about. That's one of my favorite recurring sketches from that era. I think it's just one of those quieter recurring things that we got. It really showcases Eddie and Joe. And when they bring somebody in like Danny to play off of them, I found that very interesting.Track 4:[28:20] I disappeared last December when we had that big snowstorm I'm home I'm home in my room my cold I try to keep warm I drinking some wine get down I looked out at the bottom and it says on the label visit our visions in Sonoma Valley valley. Next thing you know, I'm walking around some valley.Track 4:[28:50] I'm walking in the valley. It's all over.Track 4:[28:54] I look up, I look up. The executive stress test, I think, is probably the best original sketch that we see. He's working for this company, and he's been promoted, but they kind of want to make sure that he's got the bones for it. So he calls his wife, and his wife is clearly having some kind of intimate affair with a gardener. And you know he's he's perplexed on what's happening eddie comes in as a drug dealer who's saying that he owes all this money for the drugs that he's been taking christine ebersol comes in and talks about uh the herpes that that he gave her so and then it just kind of wraps up with ah well we just wanted to make sure you were okay with uh with this job so um it's all an act and as we find out towards the end so i think that's one of the better acting moments that we get to see from danny in this episode yeah he played really aggravated confused like really well in that sketch that's where his acting ability really shines i completely agree with that that executive stress test sketch again light episode he was in a whiner sketch he played kind of like a somebody who was kind of annoyed but showed extra try to exercise some patience with the whiners.Track 4:[30:21] Well, you have to plug them in here. Well, don't kick the china. All right, I won't kick the china. Just let me put... Here. Give me this. Plug it in. Oh, thank you. Let's be honest. That's good acting in and of itself because those whiners are a little hard to take. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I imagine... In the sketch and out of the sketch. On an airplane, I imagine, for sure. So, yeah, that was awesome acting by Danny. But I think even though he was only in a handful of sketches that night, his screen presence was really felt. And it's not a surprise that the show brought him back just barely under two years later, two seasons later. But you could really feel Danny's screen presence in this first episode, even given the light work. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It's rare to see somebody come back that quickly at this point in the show. After we get out of the original era, Ebersole doesn't seem to like to have a lot of recurring hosts.Track 4:[31:24] So, yeah, to have him come back, as you said, quickly in season nine, pretty much, I think, is it the second episode of that season? It's episode two, yeah. Yeah, and talk of another strange thing, you know, talked about Danny not really fitting the mold of what you would think an SNL host would be at that point because he didn't have any movies coming out and things like that. Well, now he's hosting with his wife, Rhea Permit. And you say, oh, well, she's on Cheers.Track 4:[31:53] Cheers was 77th in the rankings, Nielsen rankings, the year before. It was not a hit. It was almost canceled. So here it is. They're just starting their second season. Danny's not on any show, but they're hosting the show together. So that's really funny to me to see how that matched up. And the episodes where we get married couples, I mean, take it with a grain of salt. Your mileage may vary with Kim Basinger's and Alec Baldwin's of the world but I think this one works pretty good we get them together a lot which is something that is great to see they're not kind of separated, so I enjoyed this episode a lot yeah I thought it was good the monologue was a little flat it seemed like neither of them they were kind of like we're not sure what to do we have some sort of kernel of a thing.Track 4:[32:49] Yeah but it was It sort of fell flat a little bit. I'll give them a pass, though, because Vicky said this is a fun episode. It really shined a light on a reason why I love Danny DeVito. He plays weird. He has such weird energy that he can convey. The two sketches from this episode that I was drawn most toward had that weird quality about Danny. That's what stood out to me for this episode. Which sketches stood out for you? So the Autograph Hounds one, I kind of got a kick out of. And they reminded me of, you've seen The King of Comedy?Track 4:[33:30] So they totally reminded me of, like, Sandra Bernhardt and Robert De Niro's characters from The King of Comedy. Hey, Denise! You screwball! I said you were going to miss it, and you missed it! Yes, you did! You missed it! I struck gold! No, you didn't! You couldn't! I did, I could, and I would even if I couldn't! You know, as Cole Porter said, it's delightful, it's delicious, it's DeWitt! No! Yeah, yeah, yeah, Joyce DeWitt. I saw her coming out of the Burger King, and I nailed her. Look at this. It says, to Herbie, with love, Joyce DeWitt. I don't believe it. Yeah, yeah, what a woman. They're out there waiting. Dick Cavett comes out, and it was really funny. I think there was an ad lib that Dick Cavett made that kind of caught Danny off guard a little bit. He referenced his hat or something.Track 4:[34:21] Yes, yeah. And Danny was like, ah, so he kind of tried to play it off. Danny's obsessed with Ed McMahon. man that's like his white whale of autographs so but the way they they talk about it there's just like he and uh and uh rio perlman's in that sketch as well and tim kazarensky and the way they're playing that is something of the king of comedy it just like he plays weird so well yeah and i wonder if i i think this is about the time that movie was coming out so it might be a kind of an homage to that yeah that's great i had not thought of that yeah i think because i've recently seen the king of comedy so i'm like oh yeah they exactly remind me of he reminds me of rupert pubkin for me uh one of my favorite and i think we get to see uh as you said the wacky side of danny is uh the small world sketch which just really cracks me up and i know you'll get this reference uh you know it's about 12 years later that we get to wake up and smile with david allen Alan Greer and Will Ferrell and, you know, one of the all-time greats. This gets forgotten. I think this is along that lines and is almost like the ancestor to what that would be, where they get stuck on the small world ride in Disney and they're playing that infectious and annoying song over and over and over again. And, you know, cut to three hours later and now Kazerinsky's dead.Track 4:[35:45] And they're trying to figure out how they're going to get him off this, you know, this ride that anybody could easily just jump off of and, you know, jump on the stairs and get out of there. But I love the wackiness of this and the darkness that's kind of under the cover of, of it's a small world after all. So we get to see Danny really shine here with real.Track 4:[36:19] Try and get us out of here you're gonna have to swim for hell don't be crazy Doris the boat's gonna start up any second come on there's no need to panic it is that darkness and I love when uh and wake up and smile is like a great example and I think uh Andrew Dismukes is somebody current who kind of like does things that are similar is when something just like some little thing that happens in life or some little inconvenience that just seems so innocuous and so small at the time just like freaks people out and and it gets built up and like you like you said like tim kazarensky like dies in the sketch and will and wake up and smile will ferrell kills david allen career and the because the teleprompter's been off the weatherman is dead the teleprompter's been off for like 30 seconds and they start freaking out so i love when something's so simple that hat that just like a minor inconvenience or gets escalated to 11 so quickly. Those are some of my favorite sketches, Bill. A hundred percent. Yeah. This is one of those great moments that, again, I think is just forgotten because it's so long ago and it's in this kind of wishy-washy season of SNL.Track 4:[37:31] Yeah, that was a good one. Small World from, yeah, season nine, episode two. Danny also played a weirdo, a stalker in a book beat. He wrote books about stalking a woman named Deborah Rapoport. And he's just like so right at home with these types of weird characters as we've seen for a long time and it's always sunny but kids danny was doing this in the 80s 70s and 80s yes exactly and i love the way that one ends where he ends up getting shot by the woman he was talking to begin with uh yeah he you know it would be very easy to kind of put him in this uh box of of the character that he played on taxi but he finds a different angle to the smarmyness and the and the real like weirdness of all the different ways he can play that he doesn't just do a caricature of another character that he's.Track 4:[38:28] So I think, again, this is just a perfect example of what we get to see from Danny. Yeah, 100%. It's also cool that he was able to do a sketch with Eddie, with the Dion Dion. It's neat, as comedy nerds, to be able to look it back. That's what's so darn cool about SNL, is we have these pieces where you could go back and say, oh, Danny DeVito did something with Eddie Murphy. They're just doing a scene together. and we're out what other show does that happen where we have this treasure trove of material with these two famous actors and this this might be i don't i can't remember honestly unless i'm blanking of the danny devito and eddie murphy doing any movies together but i think i can think of no but but we have this on snl like that's a part of why i love this show see if you can answer this one look at the screen all right frank is talking on the phone to his good friend Then Ronald Reagan, the president of the United States. Suddenly, the president puts him on hold. What would Frank do?Track 4:[39:28] Well, let me see. Back in the 60s, the candidates lightened him and he switched to Republican party. Now, he's a different Frank now, so I think he let it slide, but he let them know not to let it happen again. Maybe so, Dion. All right, for 50 points and a lot of prizes, let's see what Frank would do. Even though it's a less than great game show concept uh danny really ratchets it up again as the game show host you know they don't just go with the obvious person uh in the host role and uh the the whole point is that they're cutting to scenes of piscopo as sinatra and apparently i i don't know if you knew this um i had not heard this before.Track 4:[40:12] But the entire concept of this sketch was that Piscopo would shoot down ideas about Sinatra for sketches because he'd say Frank wouldn't do that. So he was so embodied in what Frank Sinatra would be okay with that they decided to make an entire sketch about what would Frank do. So that's how the entire point of this sketch is to kind of stick it to Piscopo. Yeah kind of like that yeah that's it that's a that's a fun little nugget for snl fans just kind of them ribbing piscopo for his like adoration of frank and not wanting to like go certain places with uh right right i love it so i think yeah especially as far when you said like as far as uh two people hosting together married couple hosting together uh i think this came off really well. Danny came off great. He's looking like a mainstay on SNL. And the next one, we get to see him play with an entirely different cast. So this is awesome. We see what he can do with another era of the show. So it was season 13, episode 6, December of 87. He's promoting Throw Mama from the Train. Bill, SNL nerd here.Track 4:[41:30] I love it when the host is in a cold open. I'm a sucker for that. Oh, yes, absolutely. I do have a trivia question for you. I'm going to put you on the spot. Oh, boy. I know you like trivia as much as I do. So I went back and kind of culled through the archives of it all. Do you know there's only 10 hosts from the Ebersole era that came into the next Lorne era? Now, we're not counting people like Lily or who were on the original era and then went into Ebersole. I'm talking Ebersole to Lorne, only 10 times in the history of the show in the 35 years since that's happened. And Danny is one of those people. How many do you think you could name? Oh, three? I completely... Did Robin Williams? Robin Williams, yep. He was one of them. A couple of obvious ones with former cast. Oh, like Bill Murray. Yeah. Bill and Chetty. Yep.Track 4:[42:26] I think, I swear like Michael Keaton, but I don't know if he hosted under Lorne. Very good. Okay. That's one of the ones I had forgotten. Really? Yeah, I remember Michael hosting during the Ebersole era. Okay, so he did come back for Lorne. I guess I named four. Yeah, that's... So there's also Drew Barrymore, Eddie, Rick Moranis, another one I had forgotten about because he had hosted with Dave Thomas in the Ebersole era, Jeff Bridges, and Kathleen Lane Turner. Okay. Jeff Bridges is one that, that would have somewhat. Yeah. It took, it took a long time for him to come back. I think it was 2010, but yeah, I mean, it's just kind of because Lauren kind of, it felt like he had decided that that era didn't exist in a lot of ways. He obviously couldn't ignore the Eddie of it all. He must have thought an awful lot of Danny DeVito and what he had done the two times he had hosted previous to Lorne coming back to have him come into this new golden era in season 13. So I found it very, very interesting to see this is one of the few people that Lorne was like, okay, we'll give him a pass. He's too good not to bring back. No kidding. Yeah, that's a really cool stat. I love it. Thanks. Thanks for putting me on the spot. Love to do that. You've done that to me. So, you know, I'm just paying it forward.Track 4:[43:47] Yeah, like to my earlier point in excitement, like they must have really, like Lorne must have really seen something and trusted him and the writers must have trusted him. Again, he's in this cold open and you don't often see that with hosts. And I love, like, that's one of those little SNL things that like I love seeing. Well and again to not to keep going back to the host countdown but that's something that we've seen with the people who are really really good being hosts that they trust him so much that they could put them in a cold open and uh you know often i think the reason that we don't see it a lot is because cold open is one of the last things they do most weeks because it's often topical so there's usually a political slant especially these days um so it's not like the game show that they can write on a tuesday night so the host if they're not comfortable or they're having a hard time adjusting to all the stress of doing the show they don't want to add to that stress by putting the code open and as you said like having somebody like danny who you know you can trust and putting him in there with somebody like phil hartman uh in a topical sketch at the time you know, Reagan versus Gorbachev, was really a tip of the cap to what they were able to.Track 4:[45:01] I think it's also too, I mean, obviously the quick turnaround between the live from New York and the monologue and the host has to be ready for the monologue. And usually, I mean, the host is required to be in the monologue. Cast members may or may not be in the monologue. So they have time to dress and stuff, but the host has to change and then go do the monologue. So unless it's a pre-tape, unless it's something like that, I can see logistically why that might not happen. But Danny was so good here. like it's Gorbachev, like getting annoyed at Reagan's little Hollywood anecdotes and babbling, all of that. So just a really fun characterization by Danny. Really inspired casting. But he could have gotten Lovitz or something to play Gorbachev here. It is important that we do not expect too much from this summit, but it is first step. And from first step, many.Track 4:[45:57] Please, Ron, stop staring at my forehead. Oh, I'm sorry I did it again, didn't I? I'm trying so hard not to, but I've got kind of a mental thing about it. Please continue. Never mind. It wasn't important. Anyway, here we are in Washington, D.C. Please give me the grand tour. And Phil's Reagan is so fantastic, probably the best that we've gotten on the show. And to see the two of them play off of each other, and reagan just keeps getting distracted as he's showing them the washington dc monuments and instead of talking about you know the historical value it's you know where jimmy stewart made a movie or where so-and-so stood on the steps and gave this monologue in a movie back in 1940 and gorbachev wants nothing to do with it and i think danny really plays off of phil so well, So cool to see Danny in the cold open. A light little monologue. He's saying that he went to school with Bruce Springsteen from Asbury Park. So he's showing probably doctored yearbook photos of them. But just a fun, just a quirky little Danny thing.Track 4:[47:10] It highlights Bill from this, his third hosting gig. Gig yeah well i mean we have to talk about church chat right because this is uh you know one of those few instances in the church chat history where the host has done it twice now technically he was not the host the first time he did church chat he was a special guest with uh willie nelson's episode in the season before uh kind of like a crutch because they weren't sure how much willie could do uh so they you know they they picked up the bat phone literally and said you know danny can you do and he came in and did two or three sketches is willie's not an actor and how high is he gonna be well yeah exactly yeah i mean it is the 80s and it is willie so so uh so they do the first church chat in this one but this is the one that's more remembered because this was in christmas specials probably until the early 2010s when you'd see these best of christmas snls um where he's you know ends up singing i think santa claus is coming to town correct yeah here here comes santa claus i think yeah so yeah but yeah this was something that everybody even if they hadn't watched this era of the show was really familiar with because you get to see daddy singing with the church lady, church ladies playing the drums. I'm sure that if you have a kid who was watching this in the early 2000s, you'd have to explain who Jessica Hahn was.Track 4:[48:39] But other than that, you've got this great chemistry, again, with another cast member and Danny, with Dana and Danny. I think they were really good together. So church chat has always been one of those things. It's one of the first recurring sketches that really spoke to me.Track 4:[48:55] So I love going back and watching any church chat I can. and this is one of the best ones that they do. All righty. Now, Daniel, you've been very, very busy. I understand you have a new motion picture out, Throw Mama from the Train. That's right. Wow, that's a charming little title, Daniel. And what is our little film about? Well, in the movie, I want Billy Crystal to do away with my mother, knock her off, because she's a pain in the... Oh so it's a family picture we've done a little film about murdering our mother just in time for christmas how convenient.Track 4:[49:34] Come on loosen up church lady i mean it's a comedy yeah i always remember loving this one even when i was a kid like if you're a child of the 80s you were bombarded with jim baker Baker and Tammy Faye Baker, Jessica Hahn, like, uh, all, all those, like all those people, all this, like, so, so if you're an SNL fan as a kid watching the news as a kid, you knew who these people were. I have vivid memories of like Jan hooks is Jessica Hahn. Uh, so, so this was like, yeah, this is like a, something that's etched in my SNL brain and Danny just like playing himself um it's a good vehicle of course for for uh the church lady to shame him and then show obviously she has like sexual repression deep down in there scolding danny about the title of his movie he's promoting throw mama from the train uh so this yeah this is one of the uh very like memorable i think this one and like the sean penn one the rob lowe one those are like the handful of church lady ones that I'll always remember.Track 4:[50:36] Absolutely. Yes. Yeah, that stands out. Another one that I really like from this episode is Mona Lisa. And it's Danny and our girl Jan are this redneck couple living in this trailer. And they've somehow decided to call in this appraiser who's played by Phil Hartman because they're not sure that their Mona Lisa is the real thing. And of course, it's not. But, you know, it's an easy mistake to make for something like that. It's a reprint, you know, it's a blah, blah, blah. And it just escalates. And it gets into, there's Stradivarius, but it actually turns out to be a little kid's plastic ukulele. Right. And Phil just keeps, you know, dashing their dreams, the amount of money. They spent 50 bucks on this. Gold doubloon, which turns out to be, of course, a chocolate candy. Yeah. The gold wrapper on it, until they get to the Orlov diamond, and it is the actual diamond. And Phil sees an opportunity to fool these supposedly dumb people. No, this is just glass. You are a liar. You get out of here. You're a liar, man. That is the Orlov diamond, mister. We had it appraised at the American Gemological Society. It's a certified stone. Serious. Perhaps I can take another look. No, no, no. Get out of here. Get out of here, mister. We don't need those city folks around here. Go on, get out. Get out. Bam. Woo, woo. Out.Track 4:[52:00] You scared me for a minute there. That phony had me thinking we'd been ripped off right and left. I know it. You know what? We shouldn't have let him eat that gold doubloon, though. That's all right. We've got plenty more where that came from. It's just such a great, great work with Jan again. It's never not good to see somebody with Jan, but I think Danny plays really well with that. That Phil playing the smarmy role is kind of a strange kind of turn of the head because he's always not really in that role a lot, but I think he plays it really well. And getting to see the way that they all play off each other is really, really great. Yeah. And seeing Danny play like a Southern, like a Redneck character, like that's like kind of against type of what Danny will usually play. So that was so fun. Yeah, you're right. Like anybody paired with Jan, it's going gonna make for good watching but it just really struck me is how Danny was playing this like southern character he wasn't playing an angry boss or he wasn't you know he just fell right into this like good acting chops man that's like really those acting chops really definitely helped the sketch.Track 4:[53:08] Yeah, and I mean, listen, we're talking about season 13, and you can argue that this is maybe the greatest season of SNL, one of the greatest, for sure, 13, 14.Track 4:[53:21] And when people ask me about this, like, well, how, why, what makes it so special? I think what you see is, and we'll talk about this sketch now a little bit, the doorman, which kind of wraps up the night. Um you know every it's a buzzword especially within the snl community slice of life slice of life but this is actual slice of life and and there's not it's not played for laughs uh danny's a doorman at an expensive uh hotel and uh you know he's talking to nora who comes in and you know none of the people in the building really seem to know each other because you know coming and going and they're all rich and this and that. But obviously Danny is the doorman does. And Phil is moving out of the building that day. And they start to realize that they had never really gotten to talk to each other in a meaningful way. And this kind of really touches Phil. You know, it's funny. It just hit me. I have seen you every day for years. And I don't know anything about you. I mean, I don't know anything about your life or where you're from or your family. It's no big deal. You know, the building is a big chunk of my life, so I'm here. But still, it hits me like that. Well, you know, I live in Long Island City. I commute. I got three kids. Little one, Amy, is still in high school.Track 4:[54:45] The big one, my son's in engineering school. Oh, he's so smart. My Susan, she's at Queens College. And I love this. Like this, you would not see this in modern SNL, for better or worse, and I think for worse, because there's not a lot of laughs here. It's just three people and then two people having a conversation, figuring out, you know, human way to be. And it's just, I don't know, this is something that always gets to me. I love this. And again, getting to see Danny and Phil work together so much this week is fantastic. And this was kind of the cherry on top.Track 4:[55:25] You said it perfectly. Like this is one of those things that I love that touches on shared human experiences is we've all been in that situation where we kind of get one on one with somebody, the co worker, maybe a family member, like some cousin that maybe we should know better, but we haven't. So we get up one on one and it's like, what are we talking about? And then so they're reminiscing about like, because they only know each other's doorman and tenant. It so they're like remember when that package was delivered and it fell back here like so that's the their only common ground that they're establishing right away is that like a one of tenant and doorman so i think that's like funny and it's like it's inherently funny but it's not like played for like comedic heights necessarily it's very relatable but i just i just love that but there's humanity there because you're right like feel like they want to get to know each other but they're just struggling to figure out the common ground that they have outside of the obvious tenant-doorman thing. Yeah, I mean, they're from two walks of life. You imagine this to be probably a fairly low-paying job, and Phil is the rich person who's leaving this building probably for an even nicer place.Track 4:[56:37] So yeah, as you said, the common ground is really, really interesting. Great season. I'm so glad that Danny came back to play with this cast. He's back the next season 14 episode 7 December of 88 he and Arnold did Twins they're out there promoting that movie Arnold makes an appearance here in this episode they had to do Hans and Franz cold open again Danny's in the cold open Bill two episodes in a row Danny's in the cold open with Hans and Franz which by this point was getting a little stale but he injects life into it as an even more more extreme workout partner with Hans and Franz, Victor, I believe his name was. He's taking it past the pump you up into, you should be dead if you're not working out.Track 4:[57:27] Yeah, and then, as you said, Arnold, I think only the one of two times we ever see him on SNL as well. I think he does a filmed cameo at some other point. But yeah, he's sitting in the audience with Maria Shriver. And this, to me, talk about this monologue. We've talked about a couple of monologues that are kind of, eh, okay. We get to see literally behind the door Thomas. And other than Melissa McCarthy on that Mother's Day episode, do we ever really see this? Like, I can't think of another time. Not on the show. Like, the SNL's released videos and we get to see, like, the host waiting. Yes. Or the James Franco documentary, we got to see John Malkovich waiting. But you're right. Like, in an actual episode, we don't see that. Yeah. And it's all because he had such a rush coming out for the first time.Track 4:[58:24] So he wants to do it again, and that's how they get Arnold involved. He gets to see it live from New York, and they're playing the montage, and Danny's just back there, and you can see him getting riled up. I mean, it's such a tiny space, and it's so funny to think about it, because I think in your mind, especially then, when you didn't have as many behind-the-scenes things to see, you're like, this has to be a huge space. They're walking out onto 8-8. No, it's smaller than a closet in your house, like and you know could barely fit two people as they're standing back there but it's just fascinating and i know i know when i was watching this in 1988 that i just i it blew my mind like it's just one of those moments that you're like oh my god did we really see behind the door so.Track 4:[59:11] It's just fantastic it's just such a great way to open probably his best episode arguably not yeah i think it might be and and that's perfectly for for snl geeks like us yeah seeing that backstage i love danny mouthing when like don pardo's like uh because they do the whole intro and i have forgotten that they did that when i watch this again i'm like oh they might just say danny's name and he's gonna know they did like the whole intro i guess back then there were many cast members so so but you could see a mouth like yeah nora dunn and then he i love how the look on his face when he was able to mouth Danny DeVito, he looked all excited. And then the, you can see the, the, the stage director is like, okay, go, go, go, go, go. And then he, and then, then I love it. He's tired. So he does the rest of the monologue laying down.Track 4:[59:59] Exactly. So, so unique. Even at this point, they had done probably 300, 400 episodes of SNL. So to find a new twist on it was really, really great. And again, to this day, we don't really see something like this. So a lot of fun. This episode has in the running for maybe the best sketch that Danny was in throughout his six episodes. I don't know if we're doing parallel thinking as far as what stood out, but I want to hear from you. There's so much from this one. I assume you're talking about You Shot Me? Yes, absolutely. Yes, I mean, oh my goodness. How great is this? How about you, senor? Do you know how to dance?Track 4:[1:00:48] Ow, ow, ow, ow! Why did you shot me? Oh no, I shot you! Did I hit you? Where did I hit you? Where did I hit you? I shot you in the foot. Oh, no, let me see. Oh, no. Oh, no. Are you all right? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. Get away from me. Are you okay? You shot me. It doesn't hurt. I'm so sorry. I don't mean let me help you. Get away. A nothing concept. A nothing concept. And talk about where host matters. He finds a way to make, and Lovitz too, but basically to set it up, he's a Mexican bandolier in this old west town, and he walks in and they do the whole stereotypical thing with shoot at his feet to make the guy dance, and they don't usually hit them, even in the movies, but somehow Danny hits Lovitz, and.Track 4:[1:01:48] It's into, you shot me. You shot me. Over and over. Over and over and over again. And there's so many other people in this sketch, but who the hell knows that? Because it's just Lovitz and Danny going back and forth. Lovitz is clearly trying to make Danny break, especially towards the end when he's in the bed. You shot me again. Yeah, this is one of those, I mean, all-time moment with Lovitz. But again, if you had an off week and this was, I don't know, Chris Everett, this doesn't work. You need an all-time classic host coming in here to carry a one-note sketch like this and make it into an all-time classic. It is one note, but it's also clever. To me, I don't know what the writing credit on it is, but it has Conan O'Brien's fingerprints on this or Smigel or somebody like that. I don't know if your close personal friend, Robert Smigel, mentioned this sketch to you. I don't know.Track 4:[1:02:50] He has not, but I can ask him next time we have coffee. Yeah, ask him. It feels like Conan or Jack Handy or just that whole writing stable.Track 4:[1:03:00] The cliche of, now dance for me.Track 4:[1:03:03] You see the cowboy shooting. But what if the cowboy actually shot him in the foot? And also what if the cat the guy still maybe felt a little bad about shooting him so that goes to his house the next day yeah exactly that's like one of the things he's like it's almost like i didn't mean to shoot him i was just trying to literally get him to dance so that's like another just like layer to this and then i love how danny tries to convince him that maybe we're both at fault if you really think about it that's right and that's when you see love it's turn and really start to hammer Danny with the shot. And you almost see Danny break. I think, I think he does a pretty good job of, of turning his head. So you can't really see it, but you know, what's happening. We know what's happening there. Yeah.Track 4:[1:03:51] Danny seems like somebody who's just always wanting to stay in the scene as goofy as he can be. He seems like somebody who's like, here's the scene I'm staying in this because it's going to make it better. So yeah, to me, that's like a forgotten classic kind of hard to watch nowadays. Days you kind of have to know where to be a sleuth and know where to look but this was one when i was a kid and the you shot me is like hearing lubbitt say that's just all burned into my snl brain again yeah and it's only done this one time but it is one of those things that you would say with your friends and uh yeah it it held up the test of time for a long time to me that's the highlight of the episode but again you're right like what else like good episode what what else.Track 4:[1:04:35] Yeah, you know, it's funny because you wonder why some of the Christmas sketches haven't carried through. And I think, talk about underrated and forgotten, I think the Scrooge sketch in this is really phenomenal.Track 4:[1:04:50] I mean, last Christmas I gave away so much money and forgave so many loons. I mean, I just barely got my head above water this year. Boy, you gave everyone some great Christmas presents. Ah, tell me about it. Yeah, and then you got New Year's Eve presents for everybody. Yeah, I know. I didn't even realize that you're not supposed to give New Year's Eve presents. They were nice, though. Tell me about it. They were good. Well, sir, maybe you shouldn't have given me that raise. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. The raise was good. But I think I should have just concentrated on you and a little less on the rest of the world. You know, it's been done to death. We've seen it as recently as Steve and Marty. You know scrooge is just kind of hammered into the zeitgeist as far as christmas stuff but yeah they basically it's it's danny as scrooge and uh dana as marley and it's the next year so we've moved a year past you know his realization about the world and and how he's been a.Track 4:[1:05:52] So mean to everyone and he's still nice but he's trying to cut back and that's that's really the genius of this concept to me he's paying for tiny tim's medical bills but he's moving him to a you know a smaller a cheaper hospital still gonna get great care and you know dana's kind of a dick in this like he's just like well okay you know and and like he he offers to get him a turkey and he's He's like, well, last year, you know, he got me the biggest goose in town. So he's being kind of, he's being overextended by this. And he spent so much the year before that he's, again, still being nice, but he needs to. And then it escalates where we get Victoria in one of her better roles, I think, who's trying to collect for drunken sailors who want to stay drunk.Track 4:[1:06:44] You know you donated all this money to them last year mr scrooge like why why can't and he eventually is talked into it but it's it's so smartly written and it's one of those things again that just kind of could have been overplayed it's not it's perfectly done a quieter piece as far as christmas pieces go but yeah this this is something that sticks out to me and something that I've almost forgotten over the years because we don't see it in the specials. So yeah, a couple of like really cool, smart pieces with the Scrooge and the, you shot me. Uh, uh, and, uh, another thing, anything else that kind of sticks out for you? Um, I mean, I think, uh, you know, it's another Christmas piece and it's not as good as the Scrooge one we just talked about, but they, they doubled down on wonderful life here too, where Kevin's, uh, in the Jimmy Stewart role and, and looks like he's going to kill himself and, and Danny shows up as his angel. But he wasn't going to kill himself. He was actually admiring life and kind of just contemplating all the good in the world.Track 4:[1:07:48] Dandy's just never going to get his wings because he can't find anybody who's ready to jump off a bridge and uh you know then we get phil and dana in there as well so that's another one that's that's kind of something that sticks out to me that i think i will put into my christmas rotation along with the scrooge one because i i think uh they just really hold up yeah i like that one little parade of ghosts there right yeah and that all the angels waiting for their wings yeah absolutely so a really great appearance that was his fourth gig season 14 episode 7 january of 93 his uh fifth time though according to danny and the show this might be his fourth time bill i don't know we'll get to that uh here in probably in a few minutes but but this is his fifth time damn it and uh what i'm gonna call unofficially the amy fisher episode of snl.Track 4:[1:08:43] Gather the kids around and explain why the hell an entire episode of snl is dedicated to this one story like almost an entire episode of us oh my goodness like but you know i mean you're younger than me thomas this was everywhere and this was yeah i mean completely this is accurate to the time that it's in and you would never see this we talked about alec baldwin on the episode that you were on with us on the John Goodman episode for the host and how they leaned into the Monica Lewinsky thing. And it was an entire episode dedicated to that controversy. And you wouldn't see this in SNL today because it's more of the YouTube bits. What can we put up online and as a five minute thing to have a runner like this.Track 4:[1:09:37] Uh danny playing multiple roles he's playing butafuco a couple of times uh if if you don't know what we're talking about kids go look it up we're not going to explain it to you uh amy fisher joey butafuco it's a real thing but um yeah and and they do this like what four or five times we get this runner throughout the episode and then they do other sketches dedicated to it as well So the runner is like, they start off with Aaron Spelling's Amy Fisher. It's like a takeoff on Beverly Hills 90210. So they play it like that. Danny's playing Joey Buttafuoco. Amy, you really did it this time. You really banged up your car. Yeah. I'll bet that's not all you could bang. Yeah. The only Amy Fisher story told from Tori Spelling's point of view. You know, I've been with the same woman for 17 years. That's crazy.Track 4:[1:10:42] You don't want to get involved with an old guy like me. And then they do a Masterpiece Theater version of it that Danny was in again. Again, my favorite one, Danny wasn't in it, but it was the BET version with Ellen, Clay Horn and Tim Meadows. So good. Yeah.

In this episode of Challenge Accepted, hosts Thomas and Frank delve into the world of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," exploring the evolution of the show and breaking down some of its most iconic episodes. They discuss the hilarious antics of the gang and the creative genius behind the series. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction Aloha! Thomas and Frank kick off the episode discussing this week's hilarious challenge. 00:05 - Show Introduction: "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" Frank shares his experience with the show and the episodes selected for discussion. 00:22 - Episode Breakdown: The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis The hosts dive into the plot where the gang tries to profit from the gas crisis, leading to chaotic and humorous outcomes. 00:45 - Character Dynamics and Evolution Discussion on how the characters and the show's production have evolved over the seasons. 01:15 - Episode Breakdown: The Gang Reignites the Rivalry Analyzing the episode where the gang revives old rivalries in the most absurd ways. 01:40 - Episode Breakdown: The Gang Goes to the Water Park Highlights from the episode featuring the gang's wild and scandalous day at the water park. 02:10 - The Impact of Danny DeVito Frank and Thomas talk about Danny DeVito's influence on the show and his character, Frank Reynolds. 02:30 - Fun Facts and Behind the Scenes Interesting tidbits about the show's production, including special guest appearances and writer cameos. 03:00 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts The hosts wrap up the episode with their final thoughts on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and its legacy in TV comedy. SEO-Optimized Keywords: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Danny DeVito TV comedy Frank Reynolds Charlie Day Rob McElhenney Kaitlin Olson Glenn Howerton FX Network TV show breakdown Episode Tags: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, TV comedy, Danny DeVito, Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, Glenn Howerton, FX Network, iconic episodes, character dynamics, show evolution, guest appearances, behind the scenes. Follow Us: Stay updated with our latest episodes and join the conversation on social media

Join your hosts Jamie G and Magnum Mills for "The Night Pod Cometh". On this episode, we're discussing Season 11 Episode 6 of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", "Being Frank".Are you ready to experience a day in the life of Frank Reynolds?  I hope so, because you don't have a choice! Maybe things aren't always as easy as they seem for Frank, but luckily, he's got a guy like Pondy around to help him out. After all, Pondy is the coolest! Chapters:0:00 - Intro1:27 - Episode Details & Notable Callbacks3:15 - Recap Discussion33:55 - Favorite Quote35:11 - Favorite Scene/Moment36:49 - 5-Star Man (or Woman) - Episode MVP40:57 - Episode Grade43:30 - Outro/InfoWe will be spoiling ALL existing episodes of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" as well as any interviews, articles, podcasts, etc. You jabronis have been warned. Thank you for checking us out, please remember the FLAPS: Follow Like And Please Subscribe. It really helps us out, and we greatly appreciate it..Find us on social media @NightPodCometh The Night Pod Cometh is presented by Regular Dudes Watch Stuff (@DudesWatchStuff).Thanks again for checking us out, please check out our other content: Regular Dudes Watch Stuff (@DudesWatchStuff)Romancing the Gemstones (Covering the HBO show 'The Righteous Gemstones')The Bear Brigade (Covering the FX/Hulu show "The Bear")Suc10 (Covering the HBO show 'Succession')Compound B (@CompoundBPod) (Covering the Amazon show 'The Boys')Drunk on Dragons (@DrunkonDragons) (Covering the HBO Show 'House of the Dragon')The Ozark Podcast (@OzarkPodcast) (Covering the Netflix show 'Ozark')The Barry Podcast (@BarryPodcast) (Covering the HBO Show 'Barry')Saul Over Soon (@SaulOverSoon) (Covering 'Better Call Saul')Seize the Gap Fantasy Football (@SeizeTheGapFF) (Covering Fantasy Football, DFS, Dynasty Football, Wagering and MORE!)PBP: A Peaky Blinders Podcast (@PeakyPodcast) (Covering 'Peaky Blinders')Thank you again for checking out The Night Pod Cometh. We are SO CLOSE to finishing up Season 11. It's been fun, but it might be time to throw some games into the mix...#ItsAlwaysSunny #ItsAlwaysSunnyinPhiladelphia #Paddys #FrankReynolds  #Ponderosa #Pondy

It's that time of the year again!!! The Guy Party Hall of Fame Class of 2024 inductees is upon us!!! A collection of the most elite degenerates!!! The guys managed to weed them down to best of the best to bring you the newest inductions into the GUY PARTY HALL OF FAME!!! One of the most prestigious memberships to be a part of!!! Come find out who made it and who didn't!!! GUY PARTY!!!

Join your hosts Jamie G and Magnum Mills for "The Night Pod Cometh". This time, we're discussing Season 11 Episode 2 of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", titled "Frank Falls Out the Window".We will be spoiling ALL existing episodes of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" as well as any interviews, articles, podcasts, etc. You jabronis have been warned. Thank you for checking us out, please remember the FLAPS: Follow Like And Please Subscribe. It really helps us out, and we greatly appreciate it..Find us on social media @NightPodCometh and you can send feedback to NightPodCometh at gmail dot com.The Night Pod Cometh is presented by Regular Dudes Watch Stuff (@DudesWatchStuff).Thanks again for checking us out, please check out our other content: Regular Dudes Watch Stuff (@DudesWatchStuff)Romancing the Gemstones (Covering the HBO show 'The Righteous Gemstones')The Bear Brigade (Covering the FX/Hulu show "The Bear")Suc10 (Covering the HBO show 'Succession')Compound B (@CompoundBPod) (Covering the Amazon show 'The Boys')Drunk on Dragons (@DrunkonDragons) (Covering the HBO Show 'House of the Dragon')The Ozark Podcast (@OzarkPodcast) (Covering the Netflix show 'Ozark')The Barry Podcast (@BarryPodcast) (Covering the HBO Show 'Barry')Saul Over Soon (@SaulOverSoon) (Covering 'Better Call Saul')Seize the Gap Fantasy Football (@SeizeTheGapFF) (Covering Fantasy Football, DFS, Dynasty Football, Wagering and MORE!)PBP: A Peaky Blinders Podcast (@PeakyPodcast) (Covering 'Peaky Blinders')Thank you again for checking out The Night Pod Cometh. We're finally getting close to wrapping up Season 11. Next up we're going to do "McPoyle vs. Ponderosa: Trial of the Century".#ItsAlwaysSunny #ItsAlwaysSunnyinPhiladelphia #Paddys #FrankReynolds

This week on It Was a Thing on TV   First, we cap our celebration of the Doctor Who 60th anniversary with a look at “The Curse of Fatal Death”, a Red Nose Day special from 1999. The Doctor's looking to settle down but can't stop regenerating, the Master is rebuilt with Dalek spare parts, and it's all going down on a planet with a special form of communication. The BBC got some amazing talent for this one-off that foresaw a lot of things.   Then, November 29th marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary ABC News anchor Frank Reynolds. Although this man has not been with us for the last 40 years he left a great legacy of journalism on TV that lives on today with World News Tonight as one of the program's three founding co-anchors. We will showcase some of his great moments on this special episode of It Was a Thing on TV.   Follow us at all our socials via our Linktree page at linktr.ee/itwasathingontv    Timestamps 0:36: - Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death 29:39 - This Week in Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour History 32:59 - Mid-Show Classic Christmas Commercial Break 35:31 - The Frank Reynolds Centennial

Today (November 29th) marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary ABC News anchor Frank Reynolds. Although this man has not been with us for the last 40 years he left a great legacy of journalism on TV that lives on today with World News Tonight as one of the program's three founding co-anchors. We will showcase some of his great moments on this special episode of It Was a Thing on TV.   Sargent Shriver Interview (1965) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGVMfce5bJk ABC 1968 Race to the White House - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJeozETBpYU Issues and Answers Opening (1968) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkSI07FQniM Remembering JFK (11/22/68): - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRFEIHSOg9Q Apollo Program (1968-69) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL3SMbWGtWc&t=1941s Neil Armstrong Profile - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pceDTbCNlQ Frank Reynolds' farewell to the ABC Evening News (1970) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGT-Bolt7N8 World News Tonight Premiere (7/20/78) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5OrVbxAL4g Frank reporting on the Solar Eclipse (1979) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrz-_4CFOuE Frank at work on ABC Network line (1980) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qdmrvL4DyI Anchoring World News Tonight during Mount St. Helens Eruption (1980) - https://youtu.be/5izisUIqO2s?si=qZkRivtS6eUYAEiB&t=636 KTVK-TV 3 Arizona World News Tonight Promo (1981) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5df74Xw4QSo ABC Reagan Attempted Assassination Snippets from the Oddity Archive's Breaking News video - https://youtu.be/1hQSxVsdY78?si=eSWQLuWA5l8Uopy7&t=1424 Special Report within World News Tonight (1981) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YJFGncyMPI Frank Reynolds Remembered - ABC News Nightline (7/20/83) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d259RtOMBnk Frank Reynolds: A Man Who Cared (7/24/83) - https://archive.org/details/ABC_News_Frank_Reynolds_A_Man_Who_Cared_1983

Robert Jefferson is an American broadcast news anchor and Air Force veteran, professor of journalism and has had the majority of his career working in Japan.Jefferson shares an overview of his career and biography, while offering his views on the decline of journalism and the West. He offers advice for those considering life abroad and emphasizes the importance of staying curious, questioning authority, and learning history to navigate the current media landscape. Jefferson also shares his personal health journey and the benefits of gardening and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in this insightful interview.Connect with The Kamakura GardenerSupport The Kamakura Gardener : patreon.com/TheKamakuraGardenerSubject Time Stamps:* (01:26) The Mid-Atlantic Broadcast Accent and Biography* (03:25) The Dark Side of Paradise* (07:25) Relationship to Social Media* (09:25) Work at NHK World TV…* (15:58) An Interest in the Foreign* (20:24) Moving to Japan* (27:19) A Decline in Japanese Media * (34:48) Being a Free Man in Japan* (45:07) The Kamakura Gardener / Catharsis * (57:05) Teaching at Temple University* (1:02) Critique of being labeled a conspiracy theorist and the importance of seeking truth* (1:09) Finding Opportunities Abroad * (1:15) Closure and Where to ConnectLeafbox:Today I had the pleasure of speaking and learning from Robert Jefferson. Robert is an American 47 year broadcast news anchor, and Air Force veteran. He's a professor of journalism and has had the majority of his career working in Japan. Aside from his broadcast duties, he has a smaller, intimate project known as the Kamakura Gardener. Today we explore his biography, his disenchantment with corporate media, truth finding and sense-making, and his eventual catharsis in finding local content, connecting community to the gardens and surroundings of Kamakura Japan. He shares his experience finding freedom in Japan and offers an analysis of the decline of journalism and of the West. We talk about his brief stint in Hawaii and the mainland, and offer an option for those considering life abroad and paths for finding opportunity. Thanks for listening. I hope you enjoy. That's one of my first questions. I think my mom, she introduced me to your videos and I think she fell in love with your voice. You definitely have a beautiful broadcaster voice. Where did you actually grow up in the States?Robert Jefferson:I was born in Philadelphia, but I grew up in Montgomery County, which is about an hour north of Philadelphia. And I have what's called a Mid-Atlantic Broadcast accent. I was in broadcasting in the military. That was my job information broadcast specialist. I was a TV news announcer in the Air Force. I was lucky. I insisted. I had an FCC license when I joined. I had been studying up to that point, actually. They tried to make me an inventory management specialist, and I said, hell no. Hell no. And I prevailed, and it didn't take long, just a week or so, and I was sent to a technical school, the Defense Information School of Journalism Public Affairs. I know Honolulu well, I knew Honolulu very well back in the mid eighties for KHVH News Radio 99 and KGU Talk Radio 76. The voice of "Hawaii".Leafbox:Well, you actually had the perfect Hawaii accent there. That was pretty well done.Robert Jefferson:Yeah, most people have no clue what the W is a “V” sound.Leafbox:It's not America and it's not Japan. It's in between both. But here in Hawaii, I think we have, there's a strong sense of Aina, of place, of localism, of culture, of being connected to each other. People haveRobert Jefferson:The benefit of true diversity. You have the Japanese, the Chinese, the Portuguese, and the Polynesians, and then all of the other imports from around the world. So yeah, it's truly diverse. And that's not some just trite word. It truly is. Yeah. And then the local traditions, the first time I was ever called nigger was in Hawaii, in Honolulu. I was walking home one night from a club or somewhere. I was living in Lower Manoa, and I was walking up the hill from Honolulu. And these young, they were Asian kids, they were drunk or something, and they lean out the window, Hey nigger. That was the first and only time. I never felt any racial discrimination or antipathy or anything like that while I was there. And I was like, well, what the hell was that all about?Leafbox:What year was this in?Robert Jefferson:85, 86. But yeah, that was the only time. And so I would never let that taint my view or my experience in Hawaii. I mean, I was, it's this young, skinny black kid basically who got hired at two of the best radio stations in town. And then ABC News hired me to come back to, I left Japan to go to Hawaii, and then ABC News hired me to come back. So I'm not sure what that was all about, but that was the only time most people were very kind and gracious.Leafbox:So how long were you in Hawaii for?Robert Jefferson:About two years. And I meant to do this. I had to go back. When you get older, you kind of forget certain things, especially when it was four decades ago, a year and a half to two years that I was there. And I was able to, actually, I think I may have it, if you give me just a quick second here. There was a recreation of a voyage, a Polynesian voyage, the Hokulea, and I was there when they arrived at the beach, sort of like a spiritual leader, Sam Ka'ai. He was there, and yeah, I'll never forget that. They were blowing a co shell and they were doing all kinds of Hawaiian prayers and whatnot. It was absolutely beautiful.Leafbox:I didn't know anything about this. And your biographies kind of limited online a lot about yourRobert Jefferson:Yeah, I used to be on LinkedIn and all that. I erased it all. I got rid of it all. I don't trust LinkedIn, and I don't mind people knowing about me. But yeah, I would just prefer to have control over it.Leafbox:I apologize about these people in, butRobert Jefferson:Oh, no, no, no, no. You don't have to apologize at all. You have to apologize.Leafbox:Well, I mean, the good thing is you saw some of the darkness in Paradise as well, that there's very complex class issues.Robert Jefferson:When I was in Lower Manoa, I lived at, it was a house share, actually an old converted garage share. I was sharing with two other guys. One was Filipino American and the other one was from Detroit, a black American. And the owners were Chinese, and they were really sweet, very nice. The old lady, she used to get, she realized how poor we were. So she used to give us our lunches or dinner boxes, whatever. And she would always say "Sek Fan" , she couldn't speak much English. Sek Fan" is Cantonese for Have you Eaten? Which means How are you? But basically, it literally means have you eaten Shan Shan? And yeah, she's very sweet. Her sons were very nice, very nice. So yeah, I mean, I never had any racial issues except for that one night. Luckily it was just that one night. Yeah, you're right. It's good that I did experience a little darkness in paradiseLeafbox:Talking about darkness. I just was wondering what your concern a few times in the interview with the Black Experience guy, you talked about how you removed your Facebook account and how you just said that you deleted your LinkedInRobert Jefferson:Pretty much at the same time. Yeah, that was like 2016. I had just gotten fed up with big media.Leafbox:Well, that's one of my first questions is that you were in big media. Yeah. What shifted that media disenchantment or disgust?Robert Jefferson:Well, it was what Facebook and Zuckerberg were doing, prying into people's private affairs, restricting people from doing this, that and the other. I could see it coming, what we have now, the blacklisting, the shadow banning the outright banning of people. I could see that coming. And I said, I don't want to be any part of this. That's why I did sign up for Twitter years ago. I tried to use it a couple of times, and I was like, what the hell is this for? I couldn't really see the purpose. And it turns out it's just a place for people to go and show off or b***h and complain about each other. I don't want to be a part of that. It's something that Americans don't learn in school, and that is Jacobinism, bolshevism, Communism, Marxism. It is exactly what's happening in the United States now.It's being taken over. You go back and look at the French Revolution, the Jacobins, the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, how they destroyed Russia, what happened in Germany during World War ii, the Nazism and all that. And they're doing it here now. Well, here, they're doing it in the United States now, and most people aren't taught about this stuff. They have no clue. They have no clue what's happening, and you can see it. For example, what's his name? The former FBI Director McCabe back in the seventies when he was in college and just getting out of college, he was identified Marxist, a communist. He was a member of the Communist Party, Brenner, the former CIA director, communist.And the media won't say anything about them. You try to bring it up and they'll deny it. But I mean, their quotes are out there. They don't deny the quotes. And now these people are running government. I mean, the whole Congress just pisses me off. I mean, how do you have somebody making 170,000 between $170,000 and $200,000 a year owning million dollar mansions? What's Maxine Waters in California? She owns a four and a half million dollar house on a $170,000 salary. That's impossible. Nancy Pelosi is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Her husband is worth more.Leafbox:Robert, why don't we go back one second, and just for people who don't know about your career and who you are, just a one minute biography for people.Robert Jefferson:Currently, I am a broadcast journalist. I work for Japan's public Broadcaster, NHK, at which I am a news writer and an announcer. I worked for two sections of NHK , NHK World tv, and I also work for the domestic service channel one as an announcer. We have what's called here, bilingual news. And the evening news is translated by a huge staff of translators and simultaneous interpreters, and I'm one of the on-Air English language announcers. So on a sub-channel, sub audio channel, how you can tune into either Japanese or English or both. You can split the channels. NHK world TV is internet based. It's for a foreign audience. It's not allowed to be broadcast in Japan, sort of like Voice of America used to be banned from broadcasting in the United States until Barack Obama came along. It was illegal for the United States government to propagandize its citizens, and the Voice of America is considered to be propaganda.And Barack Obama changed that to allow them to broadcast propaganda to American citizens. But anyway, I digress. So yeah, I've been in broadcasting as a professional. It'd be 50 years in 2026, actually started learning broadcasting in 1974. So next year will be my 50th anniversary as a novice, at least. I started in Philadelphia. I started, I heard it at W-D-A-S-A-M at FM in Philadelphia, if you can see that. I think it says 1977. I actually started in 1976, and I also worked at WRTI in Philadelphia, Temple University's radio station. And that was back in the late mid seventies. And then in 2003, when I went back to the States, I worked at WRTI, Temple University's radio station for a short while, while I was still in Philadelphia. Sorry to be jumping around like this, but right now, yes, I work for NHK right now. I was in high school.I started studying television production in high school in 1974 as a freshman. And then in 1976, I went to work as an intern, a production assistant at WDAS AM and FM in Philadelphia. People may remember Ed Bradley. He was with 60 Minutes. He got his start at, I don't know, maybe not his start, but he did work at WDAS in Philadelphia for a short time. And I went on and joined. I was enrolled at Temple University after high school in 1978, and I only spent one semester there because I was just sick and tired of sitting in classrooms after having spent 12 years in grade school and already had experience. I even had a federal communications commission's license, a third class radio telephone operators permit, which I still have somewhere around here, the certificate be in the business. I wanted to be, my dream was to be a foreign correspondent, which came true later.I'll get to that. And I wanted to be a war correspondent, but there were no wars at the time because the Vietnam War had ended, had it continued, I probably would've been drafted, but it ended in 75, and I came of age, well military age in 77. So I decided to join the Air Force. A friend of mine was thinking of joining the Air Force, and he wanted me to come along and basically sit with him and hold his hand while he talked to an Air Force recruiter. And so I went along and listened to him, and after he finished his spiel with my friend Tony, he turned to me and said, well, what about you? And I said, I'm fine. I'm enrolled at Temple University. And yeah, I've been a pursue a broadcasting career. And he said, well, don't you realize that the United States military has the largest network at the time in the world?And I said, really? Never heard of that? And he said, yeah, I'll come back and I'll bring some pamphlets and show you what we have. So he did, did come back, and there was the promise of being stationed overseas. I wanted to be a foreign correspondent. And so here I had an opportunity to travel the world and be paid for doing something in the United States military, at least that I wanted to do. And it was so enticing that I said, sure, I'll do it. I said, get away from the college classes. That would just totally boring. And to continue doing what I had already been doing for the past couple of years, four years at least. So yeah, I signed up and went to the Defense Information School of Journalism and Public Affairs. Overall, it was about a two year course and my first assignment, I was never stationed stateside. All of my assignments were overseas. My first assignment was in Southern Turkey at Interlink Air Base, just outside the southern Turkish city of Adana, just off the Mediterranean coast, just above Greece and Cyprus, close to the border with Syria and not too far from Lebanon.Leafbox:Where did this interest for the foreign come from? Was your family also military family, or where did you have Philadelphia? Why were you concerned with the rest of the world?Robert Jefferson:My family wasn't, we weren't traveling military. All of my grandfather was a jet engine mechanic in World War ii. My father was in the Korean War, but he was stationed in Germany. His younger brothers were also in the Korean War. They wanted to take advantage of the GI Bill, which they did. My father went on to study architecture at Drexel University in Philadelphia, but from a very young age, I was very curious about news. My first recollection, well, what I remember most about my childhood, the earliest recollection that I have of my childhood was November 22nd, 1963. I was three years old when John F. Kennedy was shot. And I was wondering, why are all of these adults staring at the television and crying, and why is the TV on all the time? All day long, we had this black and white TV sitting in the living room. We lived in Philadelphia at the time, and I was just fascinated.I could still remember the cortage of Kennedy's horse-drawn coffin on top of a horse-drawn carriage going down. I guess it was Pennsylvania Avenue towards the White House or wherever. I'm pretty sure it was the White House. And ever since that, I was just curious. I would sit when my mother would have her little cocktail parties or whatever, I would sit in the other room and eavesdrop. I was just curious about what they were talking about. I was always curious about news. Back in the sixties, you had the African liberation movements and the assassinations of African leaders. The Vietnam War was in full swing. Well, after Kennedy was assassinated and Johnson came in. Then there was the moon, the space race, how the Soviets were winning the space race, the first country to put a satellite in space, the first country to put an animal in space, the first country to put a man in space, the first country to put a woman in space, the first country to put a person of African descent in space in Americas was being shown up. See, we don't learn this stuff in school, but you could fact check me. Yeah, we had had newspapers galore. We had the Philadelphia Daily Bulletin in the morning and afternoon. We had the Philadelphia Enquirer. They had two papers a day. Of course, there was no internet back then, but people actually read the newspaper and actually talked about it. It was okay to talk about things. The civil rights movement was in full swing. It was quite a heady time to be young and impressionable.Leafbox:Robert, did your sister share this interest in media and international, your twin sister, you have?Robert Jefferson:No, not at all. Not at all. And I've, she recently joined Telegram, and I sent her a little welcome message, and then I tried to send her something newsworthy and she didn't want to hear it. She even said, I don't want to be seeing things like this. I forget exactly what it was. And so I deleted it. And I've never said anything like that. I have an older brother. I have two older sisters who are also twins, and then an older brother, and we used to send each other articles and we used to talk about things. But there's been a huge divide I found in America. A lot of people have joined a team, a tribe, and they don't want to hear anything else, whether it's the cult Covidian or the staunch Democrats or the staunch Republicans, the MAGA country people or whatever, people, a lot of people just don't want to talk anymore. But back in the sixties and seventies, people talked. They argued and they went out and had a barbecue together. There wasn't this vitriol in this division. Now, and this is done on purpose to divide and rule people. This is all being done on purpose. But back to your point, yeah, my sister, she was interested in sports. I wasn't. I became the house announcer at basketball games. I did play in junior high school. I did play football, but that was about it. I never played basketball, never learned the rules, never learned the positions. It just didn't interest me. I saw brothers fighting over basketball games and whatnot, destroying each other's bicycles over, and these were brothers how they went home and solved it, I don't know. ButLeafbox:Just moving forward a bit in time to Japan, you do the Air Force, they train you to be a journalist or announcer, and then how do you get to Japan?Robert Jefferson:Not only that announcer, a writer, a camera operator, a technical operator pressing all the buttons in the control room, ENG, electronic news gathering, the little mini cam on the shoulder thing, everything they taught.Leafbox:I mean, this might be a direct question, but you talked about propandandizing the population, being educated as a journalist or person in the Air Force seems, I'm curious how that educational experience is different than maybe how you're teaching a Temple and what the goals of that information management is.Robert Jefferson:Well, it is interesting. I dunno if you've seen the movie, Good Morning, Vietnam. Remember the two twins who were censors, the identical twins who were censoring, they would stand in the other room just beyond the glass, staring at the DJ or whatever, making sure they don't say anything wrong or if they're reading the news or something. That's Hollywood. There was never any such censor. We had no one censoring us. We had host nation sensitivities. Here I am in Southern Turkey during the Iran hostage crisis. No one stood over my shoulder censoring me. When I put together a newscast, it was my responsibility, and nobody told me what I couldn't say or what I couldn't say. It was just be respectful. We are in a predominantly Muslim country, Turkey, and so be respectful. And I was actually studying Islam at the time, and so I was one of the few people who could pronounce the names of the people in the news back then, the Iranian Foreign Minister or the Iranian president, the Iranian Foreign Minister.. , and the president's name was..., and I was one of the only people who could even pronounce these names.And the Saudi Arabian, who was the OPEC oil chief, Ahmed Zaki Yamani. I was studying Arabic at the time. I was studying Turkish and Arabic, and so I could pronounce these names, but we didn't have censorship. We used the wire services, United Press International, UPI and Associated Press AP. And they had some really good broadcast wires and far different than today. They were real journalists. Then.There may have been some slants pro this or pro that pro Europe, pro-Israel or whatever, but it wasn't as blatant as it is today. I think we were far more objective and neutral back then than what I hear today, especially on the corporate networks, the big American networks, the cable networks and whatnot. We were far more objective and neutral than what people are listening to today. And this was in the Air Force. So the news that I was broadcasting was basically pretty much the same as people heard on the radio while driving to work in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, although I was in Southern Turkey, we tried to recreate the American media atmosphere there as either as DJs or news announcers, because we had all of the same inputs that you would have at a radio and television station back in the state. The obvious slants that you see today, that CNN, for example.Leafbox:What about Japan? That's one of my main critiques or questions I have about how the Japanese media is managed and your analysis as an American of how that media consensus is created in Japan. If you have any opinion on that.Robert Jefferson:Well, it seems to me, I've noticed, I've worked in Japanese media now for 40 years. It seems to me that now there's been a huge change. Japanese media used to be more curious than they are now. They seem to follow, how should I put it, the status quo, the western status quo. Don't, for example, the war in Ukraine between Russia and Ukraine, they're calling it an unprovoked attack on Ukraine. It was not unprovoked. Hello? There was a coup d'etat instigated by the United States during the aba, the Barack Obama administration, the overthrew, a democratically elected, the first democratically elected president of Ukraine, was overthrown by a US backed coup led by the state department's, Victoria Neuland and John McCain was there, John Kerry was there, Neuland. She was there handing out cookies in Maidan Square, and now they called it an unprovoked invasion. The Ukrainians were killing their own people.They happened to be ethnic Russians, but they were killing their own people. 14,000 of them were dying in Eastern Ukraine. The Donetsk Lugansk don't question that. To answer your question, the Japanese don't question. They just go along with whatever Reuters is saying, whatever the AP is saying, whatever the Western American corporate TV networks or cable news are saying, it is just blindly following the status quo. And years ago, they didn't do that. They're taking sides because Japan and Russia have some territorial disputes, some four northern islands that Russia invaded and took over in the closing days of World War ii. And Japan and Russia have yet to sign a peace treaty. They have diplomatic relations, but they've yet to sign a peace treaty because the Japanese were upset that the Russians won't vacate those adds and give them back. But there's a lot of untruths being told in Japanese media about what's going on, that the Ukrainians are winning when they're obviously losing, that the Russians committing atrocities. And it's been proven that the Ukrainians military has committed far more atrocities than the Russians have, and on and on.Leafbox:Do you think that change in journalistic culture, where does that come from? Is that from just external pressure, the lack of, why do you think? Is that because of the decline of Japan economically, the independence that it's had? I'm just curious where you think thatRobert Jefferson:There's a lot of them. Yeah, it is the economic decline. It's wanting to feel as though there's a feeling, in my opinion anyway. I sense that there's a feeling among the Japanese leadership that they want to be accepted. They have been accepted in the Western Bloc. That's a full fledged member of the Western Bloc, and they don't want to lose that position. But they sense it's obvious that economically Japan has fallen very far, and basically it's suicide. We had trade representatives, and I still remember some of the names, Charlene Barshefsky, the US Trade representative coming to Japan, forcing Japan to stop being successful economically, forcing their automobile companies and other industries to stop being so goddamn successful. How dare, how dare you produce such wonderful cars that everyone wants to buy, especially from the 1970s when they produced cars with great, great mileage, gasoline mileage.And here we are watching Japan. It's already slipped from number two to number three behind China, United States. And United States is not the number one economic power anymore. And Western media, American media won't admit that, but America may have more in the way of money or wealth. But when it comes to purchasing power, there's an index called PPP, purchasing Power Parity, and then there's also manufacturing China, far outstrips the United States in manufacturing capacity and purchasing power of parity. So China is number one economically. The United States is number two. Japan is number three, but it's about to lose that spot to Germany, but then Germany is going to lose it to whoever. I mean, Germany economy has been screwed. Again, it's another example of the German economy is another example of how a company is committing suicide. All the EU is basically committing suicide, allowing the United States to blow up the Nord Stream pipeline, and it's like, whoa, we don't know who did it? Who did that? Who did? Okay, well knock it off. Joe Biden ordered that pipeline being destroyed, and we have him on tape saying that if the Russians do this, that pipeline is dead. We have Victoria Neuland saying basically the same thing. We have a Twitter message from someone in the US State Department to, I think it was the Polish leader. The job is done, and she got fired soon after that. I mean, it's all a sick game, a deadly game being played here.Leafbox:As a journalist and as a thinker about media information management, how do you think you are seeing through it? How are you seeing through the untruths? Why does writers at the New York Times differ? Is it because you're a foreigner in Japan that you think you have that, or where do you get that independent spark from?Robert Jefferson:I've got nearly 50 years of experience in news in international news as a foreign correspondent with ABC news here in Japan. I was also the Tokyo correspondent for the West German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle Radio at the same time that I was working with ABC. And at that time, I was also an announcer at Tokyo Broadcasting System. It was a weekend anchor at Japan able television. I did some radio programs and entertainment program music programs here in Japan. I've been around the world, not all everywhere. I haven't been to Africa, I haven't been to South America, but Europe and Asia and Pacific I've been to and covered stories. I can see how the news coverage has changed. It's very obvious to me. I can see right through it. I stopped watching television. I've got a television here. I've got one downstairs, big TVs. I don't even watch them anymore. I may hook them up to my computer and watch something online on my TVs, but I don't watch CNN. I don't watch Fox News. I'll watch little snippets of it online.And one of my heroes was Peter Jennings, someone I really looked up to. He was with ABC. He started at ABC back in the sixties when he was 26 years old. He was an anchor for ABC's World News tonight. It may not have been called World News tonight then, but ABC's Evening News, whatever it was called back then. His father was a Canadian. He's Canadian. Well, he naturalized as an American citizen eventually, but his father was a news executive in Canada and Peter Jennings, I mean, he was a high school dropout. He never went to college, but he was absolutely brilliant. He was an autodidact. And yeah, I think he was quite brilliant. He didn't need such diplomas and degrees and things, but he felt that he needed to leave the anchor role and go and hone his skills as a journalist, which he did.And he stayed with ABC, and he became the chief international correspondent based in London. And back in the early eighties, there was a tripartite anchor team, Frank Reynolds in Washington, max Robinson, the first black network news anchor in the United States. He was based in Chicago, and Peter Jennings was based in London. They had a wonderful, wonderful, and the ABC Evening News back then was absolutely wonderful. They actually told you what was going on around the world, but you could learn the names of countries and cities and leaders and places and people, and now you've got people on these networks now who can't even pronounce names correctly. Even people who are foreign correspondents can't even find places on maps. It's just, it's sad to see how low journalism has fallen and trust in journalism has really fallen. I mean, it's in the single digits now, which is sad.So yeah, I can see through, I mean, the whole situation that erupted in February of 2022 in Ukraine, people like unprovoked attack by Russia. Russia wants to take over Europe. No, they don't. They simply want to be left alone. The United States under Bill Clinton tried to rob Russia, tried to go in there and steal Russian industry, the Soviet industry, basically to use the oligarchs who basically swooped in and scooped up all of these industries and made billions of dollars who were trying to persuade born Yeltsin who was suffering from alcoholism to basically sell out his country. He wasn't stupid, but he did have an alcohol problem, and he turned to Vladimir Putin and told him basically, dude, you got to help save Russia. A lot of Americans don't know the history between Russia and the United States, that Russia supported the American Revolution, that Russia parked some of its armada, naval armada off the coast of New York Harbor and told the French and off the coast of I think the Carolinas, and told the British and the French, don't you dare interfere in the American Civil War. The French and the British were trying to help the South and against the north, and the Russians, the Russian empires said, no, no, don't you dare.Leafbox:In one of the interviews you had with the, I forget the host of the name, but you said that you feel free in Japan. I forget the exact quote. You said, maybe like I'm a free black man in Japan.Robert Jefferson:Yeah.Leafbox:How does that connotate to how you analyze the world? I mean, do you think if you had been 40 year career in the States, you'd have this lens?Robert Jefferson:I have been back to the States once the first time to Hawaii for two years, and then when I was in 2000, I was turning, I think by the time I went back, yeah, well, that year, 2000, I turned 40. So I have been back to the states, and I had no desire to work for corporate media. I went back and went to work for WHYY in Philadelphia, which is an NPR and PBS affiliate, and I actually was an NPR correspondent. I was their Philadelphia correspondent. While I was there covering expressly presidential visits, whenever a George Bush would come to town, president Bush would come to town, I would join the White House press pool at the airport and ride in the presidential motorcade into the city and follow the president around. I was a pool reporter, and then I left WHYY and went out west.I wanted to challenge myself and do more. So I went into media management and worked at a community radio station in Portland, Oregon. And then I went to another community radio station owned by Bellevue Community College, just outside of Seattle, Washington, and went into a management there as assistant general manager and program director at a radio station there. And it was wonderful to work at a nonprofit media organization teaching people how to do news. And when I was there, Portland, Oregon was voted year after year as the most livable city in America. Look at it now, a shithole, a shithole of left-wing people who've just destroyed the city. And I'd always consider myself left. But at 63 years old, now I'm conservative, not a Republican conservative. No, I'm just conservative of hopefully someone who's got a little bit of wisdom and who would like to conserve decency and morality and people's right to practice whatever religion they want to and to say what they want to look at, how free speech is being eroded in the United States.Now, some of the things, I'm talking to you now, I'd be criticized or banished from saying, and this is by people on the left. We never heard anybody on the right saying banished them. And I remember when I was in Hawaii at KHVH News Radio, rush Limbaugh was getting his start. He was on KHVH. Larry King was on KHVH, and we allowed people to say what they wanted to say, Limbaugh. He would take the word liberal and say liberal. He would just vomit it out. But you had another voice on there, Larry King and other voices, left, right, center, whatever. And now look at how polarized and divided America is today. It is sad. It's very sad. But yeah, it is not like I'm here in Japan in a bubble. I can see everything. You see, I don't watch television, so I'm not watching KION or what, I forget what the other stations are. I wouldn't watch them. But if something is newsworthy, I can go online and see what's happening in Lahaina or Lana, as most of the journalists these days call it. They don't even do your research, learn the pronunciation, and they even put up a transliteration on the screen, L-A-H-H-A-Y-nah. It's not Laina, it's Lahaina.It's just laziness. A lot of journalism today is just laziness going along to get along, being part of the team. And this is what I didn't like about sports growing up, just seeing brothers fighting over a goddamn ball game. And here we have that now, this sports mentality, this tribal mentality of wearing colors and painting your face colors of your team, and it's bled into our politics. Now. I remember the house speaker Tip O'Neill, he would say something, oh, my friend across the aisle, now it's that terrorist across the aisle or that oph file across the aisle or something. America has really devolved, and as someone who grew up at a time when in the sixties, up until the early to mid seventies, we didn't lock our doors. There were no home invasions. What happened in Lewiston, Maine yesterday, 22 people being shot. We didn't have kids going into school, shooting up each other. We had kids walking down the street with a shotgun over their shoulder. They were going to hunt some squirrels or deer hunting or something, and they did it right. They registered their guns, they wore the orange stuff, and what the hell happened? What happened to families? What happened to mother and father? Now you've got single women raising kids, fathers, making babies, and walking away, what the hell happened to America? And it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.Leafbox:Going back to Japan, I'm just curious, Japan has a history of political violence and disagreement.Robert Jefferson:Last year we had the assassination of a former Prime minister.Leafbox:Correct. So I thinkRobert Jefferson:The attempt assassination this year of another one, it's successor.Leafbox:So I'm just curious how you contrast that to the us or if you do, or I always feel like information in Japan is actually more freeIf you look for it.Robert Jefferson:YouTube channel, well, not used, but websites aren't banned here in Japan as they are in the eu. They don't have these draconian measures like the EU does. And the United States would love to impose information flows freely here in Japan, if you know where to look for it. If you want it, you can look for it. You can get a VPN and disguise your location and find out more information. But yeah, political violence, there's a long history of it here. I mean, going back thousands of years, I mean, Kamakura, the city I live in here, there's a monument and the graveside of a guy named Hino who had his head lopped off because he disobeyed a Shogun. And just this morning I walked past his little, this little graveside. It is like, wow. And I looked into the history of it. He got beheaded because he disagreed or the win against a local warlord or Shogun, the leader of, well, Japan wasn't unified then, but it was becoming unified.But yeah, Japan was extremely fascistic at the turn of the last century, the 20th century, prime ministers were assassinated. The military took over, got Japan involved in World War ii. Yeah, yeah. But it's been very peaceful here, post World War ii, there are lots of heinous crimes that are committed every day, seemingly ordinary people. People you wouldn't expect to fathers against sons, sons against fathers or against mothers. It happens here. Japan is not a paradise here, but it is. I do lock my doors here, but no one has ever bothered me here at my home. No one's bothered my car. People are very decent. There's decency here that is disappearing fast, disappearing in the United States. Neighbors who won't talk to you in the United States, I know my neighbors here. One reason I moved out of Tokyo is because neighbors, you lived in an apartment building. You get on an elevator, you're like, well, who are you? I wanted to know who you are.I'm Robert. I live on the sixth floor. Who are you? I demanded people to know who people were. But here, people are curious. They want to know, well, who's this black guy who moved here when I moved here 17 years ago, and now everybody knows me. The police know who I am. They come by and check on me. They have a registration that you fill out so that they know who's who. But yeah, I've never bothered by the police. I don't fear going to the police station. I laugh and joke with him. One policeman came on his motorbike years ago when I first moved here a few years after I moved here. And he was just doing his patrols. And he slipped and fell, and he had some mud on his boots and up his pant leg. And so I helped him wash it off and whatnot. And we had a good laugh about that. Yeah, I mean, it is, I don't have to put up with foolishness, and I'll look at things on Twitter or X as it's called now, of black, especially youth running amuck in the states, going into convenience stores or department stores and just going crazy, acting crazy in fast food joints, tearing the place up, throwing chairs and tables and stuff. It's like, what the hell? I never experienced that when I lived in the United States. And everybody thinks it's normal now.That happens. Something terrible is going on in the United States, as you say. It's happened in Venezuelas, it's happened in Colombia, it's happened in Mexico, it's happening in Europe. Now. The chickens are coming home to roost. I don't know, but something is afoot, and I'm simply saying, not today, Satan. Not here, not with me.Leafbox:So maybe we can go to your gardening project, Robert, because that sounds like a, to me, it feels like a counter to all that negative energy. You have this personal space, and you have such a wonderful voice and broadcast history, but now you're producing this content that offers an alternative. So I'd love to know where that comes from and why you're doing it.Robert Jefferson:It's catharsis, it's healing. Nearly 50 years of covering wars and murder and mayhem and thievery, and just, I'll admit it, it's still exciting when news happens. It's exciting to see. When I was a kid, I always wanted to be the first to know and the first to tell. I wasn't a snitch. No. But that's what attracted me to journalism was being the first to know and the first to spread the word for me. Now, after all these years, five, six decades of reporting the news, I'm tired. Some or so that I gave up drinking three years ago. I gave up alcohol, completely, cold Turkey in one day, April 30th, May 1st next day, Mayday, mayday, mayday. I was alcohol free. And I had been since then, desire, I even had still a few bottles left in the fridge and here and there, and I gave them away.I had no desire to drink anymore. So my gardening, I've been doing that pretty much all of my life with some breaks in between. I grew up gardening, helping a neighbor, particularly with her garden. And then as a teenager, when I was also working at the radio station, and on weekends, during the week, especially in the summertime, during summer break, I worked for a landscaper, a guy in my town. He had a landscaping business. And I love working with plants, either cutting them down or helping them grow. Yeah, it is just beautiful for me. This is very cathartic, the gardening. And then something said, well, I've been doing this for years and I'm not, I thought about YouTube years ago, and it's like, nah, it is the alcohol that made me so lazy. I didn't even want to do it. And then finally, oh, about 2016 or so, 2016 I think it was, I made one video, and if you go back and you can see my very first video, it's featured my two dogs at the time, my band spunky and just showing my garden.And then three years ago when I quit drinking, I needed something to do with my time because I'm an independent contractor, so I don't have a set schedule, schedule changes, and sometimes I'm busy and sometimes I'm not back. Three years ago, I was not very busy at all, and now I'm extremely busy and I love it. But yeah, it was a chance to channel my energies into something productive and to give something back to the world. Instead of talking about how many people got murdered in Lewiston, Maine yesterday, how to take this little seed, sprout it, grow it into a tree that's taller than me now, and to give something back. A lot of my subscribers and viewers, as you say, they mentioned how calming my videos are. And I think now that you've heard me talk for a while, you can see why I do what I do.I've got a lot in me that's just screaming to get out, and it's not all negative, but there's a lot of negativity out there. And instead of joining that bandwagon, I decide to put this energy into something that can hopefully, even if people don't want to get into gardening or they can't because they live in an apartment. Someone just sent me a message the other day saying, I mentioned growing stuff. If you have a balcony, and they said, no, I live in an apartment. I don't have a balcony. Then I thought about, yeah, there's a lot of people who don't even have balconies, but if they can't do gardening, at least I can bring them some sort of enjoyment or peace of mind for the 15 or 20 minutes that they're watching my channel.Leafbox:Well, that's why I enjoy it. I think you're offering kind of like, yeah, just a counter to that negative informational, and also being in Japan, you're creating, as an American, you're offering this alternative Look, you can live in this calm way. You can go to the gardening store and be polite. You don't have to rob the store. You don't have to get in a fight. You can share this space. And you met this British guy, and he's doing the natural farming. Another form,Robert Jefferson:Actually, he's Dutch.Leafbox:Oh, Dutch, sorry.Robert Jefferson:He studied in Britain. He went to Oxford. And yeah.Leafbox:Anyway, it's just nice to see you building this community. I mean, you have the community of foreign correspondents and Japanese broadcasters, so it's nice to see you go very local, but now you're sort to, you can feel the layers building you're building.Robert Jefferson:Yeah, you're absolutely right. This is one reason why I wanted to come back to Japan. I went back to the States, and I was there for five years. Even though the people here is a majority Japanese country, it's not as homogeneous as you think it is because the foreign communities are growing here, especially other Asians, Vietnamese and Chinese and Koreans. The article in the newspaper just yesterday that I saw that the numbers are increasing quite a bit, but it's a place to come and meet people from all over the world. Hendrick, my neighbor here, I walked past this house every morning and I'm like, this is Hendrick. This is interesting. And then one afternoon I walked past and I see, oh, this is your place. And he looked at me like, who are you? Like, well, who are you? Why are you half naked out here in somebody's front yard and it's his front yard?And I said, dude, we sat and talked for an hour and a half, and then I came back with the camera. I said, if you don't mind, I'd like you to give me a garden tour and whatnot. He just sent me an email this morning. He's going back to Shizuoka, which is south of here. He's got some land there. Him and his son are going down for the weekend to do some work on the land they just bought. They don't have a structure on the land yet, but they're just working the land. Yeah, it's a chance to meet people from all over the world. And I found that when I was in the States, there's this closed mindedness, this closed mentality. You in Honolulu, you've got a lot more, as we were saying earlier, there's a lot more diversity, cultural diversity, ethnic diversity, and that makes a living in Hawaii so nice is that diversity.It's not just all the same types of people or people. They had their enclaves here and there, but there's more of in the United States, I mean even in places like New York or even the larger cities, people are separated in different enclaves. Here, there's a lot more melding in, well, it wouldn't make sense for all Americans to live in this section or all the Chinese to live in that section. But I mean, you do like an ost, there's a preponderance. There's a lot more people of Korean descent than in other cities. And in Yokohama, a lot more people of Chinese descent. But you don't have these ghettos that you see, these ethnic ghettos that you see in the States. So here, it's, it's a place to be, place to be yourself, to be oneself, to be who you are. A lot of people, especially when they're young, they come here and they do this.If, I dunno if you remember that song, turning Japanese, I forget who, a Divo or somebody turning Japanese. Oh, yes, I'm turning Japanese. Oh, yes, I think so. I forget who did the song. And people play that little thing. Everybody goes through that. We're in kimono and going to the Matsui, the festivals and stuff. Everybody goes through that. Then you've kind of had enough of that. But it's a place to, because I don't care. Even if you get Japanese citizenship, you're never going to be Japanese. So it's a chance to come and find out who you are. I don't have to speak like a brother from the hood, and I really can't do it anyway, so I better not even try. I don't have to act black. You may see in some of my speech patterns and mannerisms and whatnot, but I can just be me. We were talking, you were trying to figure out my accent. Earlier. When I was in high school and junior high school, I used to be ridiculed by other black kids. Bobby talked like he white because, well, if you notice, most children speak very clearly. They don't have black accents or this accent or that they speak very clearly. It's not until they get into puberty and beyond that, they start adopting these speech mannerisms of black or Asian or whatever.Leafbox:Do you think Japanese have the same freedom when they come to the US or when they leave Japan?Robert Jefferson:Yes. Yes. Because Japanese are under extraordinary pressures to fit in, to join a company, to fit into society, to not break the rules. It's a very rules-based society. And that's why you see such rebellion. And a lot of it, it may be superficial. A young Japanese kid with dreadlocks or now since the nineties, the big fat is to bleach blonde your hair, bleach your hair blonde. It's such a, and they're trying. Even still, there's a debate going on for high schoolers about the length of hair. They have to keep their hair at a certain length. The girls can't perm their hair. In many of the schools, the boys, if they have curly hair, they have to straighten it. And now you've got kids of mixed heritage. And there was a kid who's part black and part Japanese, and he was trying to wear cornrows at his graduation ceremony and couldn't attend. They banned it from attending and things like that. But see, I didn't grow up that way. I didn't grow up here for one. But yeah, there's a huge pressure. There's a lot of pressure, tremendous pressure for Japanese to conform, and they leave a lot of 'em still. There's a huge desire, oh, I want to go to the States, because they can finally explore who they are, who they want to become.And I had many students when I was teaching at Temple for 13 years, they said, yeah, next semester I'll be going to the main campus. And my advice was, be careful, make good friends and be very careful. But I said, go and explore. I mean, you're going to meet some wonderful people there, and you'll meet some horrible people. Some of them will be white, some of them will be black, some of them will be fellow Asians. You're going to have good times and bad times, but just take care. Be careful. Watch your back.Leafbox:Robert, talking about your classes at Temple, I think you were teaching ethics. What were you teaching? Ethics. I taught Journalism. I taught journalism. I started teaching media management and organization. That was my first course. Then I taught writing courses. And then at the end, I was teaching, the last four years or so, five years maybe. I was teaching ethics in journalism and the history of journalism. They were separate courses. So I taught history one semester, ethics, the next history, the ethics, the next, or over the summer I teach one or the other. So the history of journalism and ethical issues in journalism. Yeah.Well, I was just curious about what topics you were particularly interested in the ethics of journalism.Robert Jefferson:A lot of it dealt with hypocrisy in the media and using clips from media showing the hypocrisy and the outright lies, showing how, for example, CNN, there's a CNN correspondent in London, staging a demonstration. They went and got a group of people from a particular group. They were Muslims, and I forget exactly what they were protesting against, but they were actually telling people where to stand and how to stand. And the cameraman only framed these people in the shot to make it look like it was a huge crowd, but it was only about 10 or 12 people. I don't know why they recorded the whole thing, but I showed them the clip of the correspondent and the producers telling people what to do, when to hold up their signs. And then suddenly, oh, we're live now in London and it's all fake. And I played a lot of them. Have you seen the clip of the news catches like a montage of clips of newscasters all across the United States. We're concerned about our democracy. And they're all saying the same thing.Leafbox:Yes, it's troubling. I playedRobert Jefferson:That years ago, three, four years ago to my classes. And that was from Sinclair Broadcasting. They had all of their affiliates around the country read the same script, and somebody got ahold of all of them and put them all together in this montage. And that was three years ago. And look what we have now, people being canceled for saying the wrong thing. And these news organizations claiming to want to protect democracy. No, no, no. This is what communists do. And in America, we don't learn about the communist Ong. In China, the cultural revolution back in the 1970s, it wasn't that long ago, just 50 years ago, of students going after their professors, putting paint on their faces, making them wear dunk caps and stuff. And what's the guy's name? Weinstein in Oregon, who was raked over the coals by his student.Leafbox:Oh, Brett Weinstein. Yes. Weinstein. That was before CovidRobert Jefferson:Out of his university. Him and his wife. Yeah. Yeah. And I was being, they didn't have the balls. My core supervisor, temple University didn't have the balls to confront me. He wouldn't even have, we never once sat down and have a conversation. How about anything? He's one of these probably Marxists. I mean, they were marching up and down the streets supporting George Floyd, who just recently this news came out when he died, that he was not killed by the police officer. And this is what I was trying to tell my students. He died of a fentanyl and not fentanyl. It's fentanyl. Look at how the word spell you idiots. NYL is nil. Tylenol, fentanyl. And you got broadcasters who don't even know the difference, can't even pronounce the word correctly. But he died of a drug overdose. Fentanyl was in his system. Alcohol was in his system, cocaine was in his system. And what was he doing when he got arrested? He was trying to steal from a shop owner by passing counterfeit bills. And he and the police officer were bouncers at a nightclub. They knew each other, they knew each other. But that was hushed. This whole thing was hushed and cities burned. Milwaukee burned. Five police officers in Dallas were killed. Shot in their cars or on the street or wherever. Five of 'em just murdered by B bbl, M and Antifa.Leafbox:And what was your relationship with the Temple professor? You were saying?Robert Jefferson:He was my core supervisor and he was talking behind my back, calling me a conspiracy theorist. Journalist should be conspiracy theorists. That's why we had, I have Stone and Jack Anderson and Seymour Hirsch, who's still alive. And Glenn Greenwald. All journalists should be conspiracy theorists. We have to theorize about conspiracies because our government carries them out. The Nord streaming bombing was a conspiracy to tell Germany and the rest of Europe stay in line. The Gulf of Tonkin incident, it was a conspiracy to get America more involved. The Vietnam War, the bombing of Pearl Harbor was a conspiracy not only of the Japanese, but Theodore Roosevelt, not Theodore Roosevelt. Franklin Roosevelt, FDR, to get America involved in World War ii, and he blamed it on Commanders of the Pacific fleets. There we should always be conspiracy. And this is what I was trying to teach my students to always ask questions. When I was a news director at the radio station at Portland, I was news and public affairs director, and I would put little reminders on the wall. Stay curious. Always stay here when somebody crossed out the C and put an F. Stay furious.And yeah, this is what I was trying to teach my students to question authority. Our job as journalists is to give voice to the voiceless and to question those in power. Not to just power what they say. I mean, this whole Covid thing, especially Black people who were complaining about systemic racism, they ran out to get the man's poison injected into them multiple times. And now we're learning just how dangerous that s**t is. People dying of myocarditis, sports, people first and now just regular people, children, they injected the s**t into children. My own twin sister, she got injected and now she doesn't want to talk much about her medical problems. I mean, this is what the media has done to the United States in particular. It's happened here too.Leafbox:Robert, do you know what post-truth is, meaning the sense that we're moving into a media empire state, that it's almost impossible to know what's real or what's true AI like you're talking about the CNN,Robert Jefferson:It's OrwellianLeafbox:Generating narratives. What are some tools?Robert Jefferson:We have AI news announcers now. Yeah,Leafbox:I know, but how do you try to stay sane in a world where it's like a Philip k Dick universe in the sense that everything is unreal and unreal at the same time? So how do you navigate this post-truth? Reality?Robert Jefferson:You have to have a good knowledge base. You have to have lifelong learning. When you see that link in something online or whatever, click that link. Go deeper. When you see that word you don't know, click on it and look up that word. Broaden your knowledge base, read history. Go onto YouTube and look at some of the historical documentaries. And one, some of it, it's b******t, but the more knowledge you have read books. Who's reading books anymore? Not many people, whether it's an audio book, but you can listen to it, or if it's an ebook. Read study history. That's why I was telling you about the history between Russia and the United States. Most of us Americans have no freaking clue that Russia and the United States were once so very close. That's why Russia sold us Alaska for pennies on the dollar, and it was so far away. They hadn't even explored much of their far east. But yeah, and most people don't know that Russia and the United States, that Soviet Union were allies in World War ii. It was that Russia did most of the heavy killing in World War II to defeat the Germans. We're not taught that.The whole thing with a Russiagate, you remember that? It was totally bogus. I was trying to tell my students then that this is b******t. It was all b******t, and I was proven right. I'm not there anymore. I tell the truth, but I was right. And those students will hopefully realize that their professor was trying to tell them the truth, and my superiors were trying to undermine me, and it is just sickening to see that whole Hillary Clinton cooked up that whole Russiagate thing and the FBI went along the FBI should be disbanded. The CIA was involved in overthrowing a duly elected president. And if it happens to Trump, I don't care what you think about Trump, I'm not. Are you a Trump supporter? No, I'm not a Trump supporter. I'm a truth supporter, and I would say this in class. I'd be the honest, do you support Trump?No, I don't support, I didn't support Barack Obama either. Here's this obscure, skinny Black dude from Chicago who's elevated to the presidency, first to the Senate, and then the presidency. This is all b******t. It's all b******t. He's fake. I'm sorry, but yeah, the key is, is to become an autodidact, mean someone who learns on their own. Yeah. See, and a lot, Al Robert, you're just a conspirator theorist. It's like grow up. I've had enough, I tried to warn people about the Covid injections. It is totally bogus, and most people don't realize that the whole thing was a Department of Defense project. Most Americans had no clue. That was all DOD working with the Chinese. Anthony Fauci sent millions of dollars because of gain of function. It has been banned in the United States, but they did it anyway, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. So they farmed it out to the Chinese and then blamed it on them. Isn't that some nasty s**t?Leafbox:I mean, that's one theory. There's also the Chinese theory, so there's so many theories and alternative theories, and that's why I,Robert Jefferson:Yeah, the Chinese theory is like, okay, okay, we're not stupid, so we're going to weaponize this thing against you. The art of war. That's another thing people need to study. People like Sun Tzu, study Confucius.Leafbox:One of my last questions, Robert. I have a lot of friends in America who are concerned about collapse in the US and the West, and they're all dreaming about either moving to Japan or moving to Alaska or doing the homesteading kind of thing. I lived in South America and we had a hyperinflation situation when I was young, so I've seen it firsthand.Robert Jefferson:Where were you?Leafbox:In Brazil when I was like 13. We had hyperinflation. Yeah. And so I'm just curious how you feel being in Japan. Are you going to retire? I mean, do you plan on staying the rest of your life in Japan, or what's your, do you want to return to the states or who knows what the so is?Robert Jefferson:I have no desire to return to the States. I did twice. And when I went back, was it 23 years ago, middle age, I could see then the downward spiral of American society. America's a beautiful country. I drove from Pennsylvania all the way across the country to the West coast, to Oregon, three and a half days. It took me, it's a beautiful country. They're beautiful people in America. I'm not anti-America. There's beautiful people there. Our governments, local, state, national, are basically ripping us off America's in debt. They've been talking about 33 trillion in debt. No, no, no. It's more than that. We're talking about quadrillions. If you can imagine trillions of quadrillions of dollars in debt, the pension plans are broke. There's no money there. Social security. There's no money there either. Remember Al Gore talking back in the 2000 election about the social security lockbox? People, Social security is gone. They'd spent all that money, and this is why they had to take us to war. To war. And there's going to be, I'm watching. I'm hearing a number of different voices. We're going to war on a global scale, world War iii. It's going to happen. They have to because most governments are broke. America's broke. Japan is broke. The European Union is broke, but Japan has been around for thousands of years. It still has cohesion.They seem to be committing suicide. Young people don't want to have children. Businesses, when I first came to Japan, there were clear societal roles, familial roles. The father went out to work and he worked hard, and he worked for his company for a lifetime, whatever, and that's all gone now. Young people can't even find jobs or they're getting part-time jobs or whatever.Everybody should first of all know where their food comes from. Where's the chicken come from? The supermarket not done. People should know where their food comes from. They should know how to grow food. They should start growing little things like herbs and tomatoes and potatoes. They're the easiest thing to grow. Go to the supermarket, buy some potatoes, wash them really good, and then put 'em in a brown paper bag. When they start sprouting, put 'em outside. Or if you have some old potatoes that start sprouting, put'em outside in a bag, I use grow bags, buckets will work.Just have some drainage in them. People need to grow, need to know where their food comes from, and they need to start learning how to grow their own food and just like their ancestors did. Not that many generations ago when I was growing up in the sixties, I had friends whose parents could barely speak English. They're from Germany, they're from Italy. They were from Hungary or Ukraine. They left their countries for a better life. Americans of today may have to lead the United States for a better life. Don't just sit in the same place going through the same. I tried to tell my elder brother, how about Mexico? Oh, man, Mexico is dangerous. Dangerous. There are some wonderful places in Mexico, Probably. He's five years older than me. He's 68. He could live very well on social security there. People don't want to take the chance.I always get on an airplane. Boom, I'm gone. I couldn't wait to get on an airplane, go somewhere else. Will I stay here in Japan? Yeah, I'll probably, but I'm keeping, I've got the corner of my eye on a side escape route. I'm not sure where. But like I just said, I can live on a retirement very cheaply somewhere. It could be, I don't know, Cambodia. It could be Vietnam. There's no major wars going on there right now. And the people there still, they still know how to smile. I do get asked this quite often, keep your eyes wide open, Japan. Not unless there's a major war. And it seems as though the leadership here, the political leadership, are just itching to get into a fight with someone and Japan's military, and they do have, it's called the Self-Defense Forces, but it's a military, but they have no practical experience fighting.They'll get massacred. They don't understand guerrilla warfare. They don't understand urban warfare. Japan should just stay pacifist. I'd be glad to see American military bases. It leaves Japan. I mean, it's how I got here is through the military, but there's no need. Japan can defend itself, and actually it shouldn't be any need. Japan, Korea needs to stop fighting over some dumb s**t that happened a long time ago. So much of their culture has come from China and India and elsewhere through Buddhist connections and contacts. But yeah, Japan should stop trying to ape the west. Stop trying to imitate the West and be Japanese. Be Asian for once. Yeah, I mean, Japan and Korea should not be arguing the way they still are and China as well. But then these are global forces trying to divide and rule to keep the Korean peninsula separated. That's ridiculous that the Korean peninsula is still separated.The same people still quarreling over some dumb s*

Join the red wine sisters as they break down a legendary Mary Kate and Ashley film that they've never seen, It Takes Two. There's talk of Christie Brinkley, Vinny, Lou, an child labor storyline that no one saw coming, and Frank Reynolds. Also, are you team It Takes Two or The Parent Trap? Tune in to see where we landed. (ps Meredith Blake forever)

To paraphrase Frank Reynolds after he hijacked the tour boat “one the things I like to do most, is listen to the Dogger Saints Podcast. I listen to a lot of the Dogger Saints Podcast.” A strange man, but you can be like him too, if you come and join your old pals Sam and Dan for Episode 88 of The Dogger Saints Podcast! We have all the skinny from all the Saints related action over the past few weeks, as we relive the mens 2-2 burglary against Dundee, and we Mac's beautiful wee silky skills. We also look into the women's double-header against Livingston, as Sam caught up with gaffers Jamie Reynolds and Kev Candy, and Dan with goalscorers Elvie McLean and Fern Newbigging after the thrilling cup victory, and then caught up with absolutely nobody after the league drubbing. We all know what brightens up the time of year when the nights start fair drawing in - features, baby! And we've got them all with The Good, The Bad and The Banto, a visit to Mike Ashley's emporium for this weeks O'Boyle, a small visit to the Club Shop of Shame, and we get in the ring for some wrastling in this weeks Theme Team. With one on eye on the weekend, we're take a look ahead to the womens game against Glasgow Women, before taking a look at the men's clash against another Glasgow side, as we're joined by Grant from the Heart and Hand Podcast as he gives a view from the other side. Danny Williams's Bucket of Chestnuts! Sam Miller's Alcohol-Free Lager! Michael Beale's ineptitude! We have it all, and lots more, so come along for the ride and join us for your all time favourite nonsense. Get there!

Today we talk about the time Frank Reynolds went by the wrestling persona Trash Man as we enter season 14.

Election Night 1980. The Iran Hostage Crisis is going on, the economy is struggling, and the ABSCAM scandal has several candidates seeking re-election while either under indictment or after conviction. It is with this back drop that both of our subjects, Representative John Jenrette and President Jimmy Carter, are facing re-election. It did not go well for either of them. In this episode we will let you watch the evening progress as the networks zero in on the ABSCAM Defendants elections for at least some drama because the Carter efforts are fairing so badly.  Ronald Reagan will be elected in a landslide and John Jenrette will lose in a surprising squeaker to John Napier. This election is also a treat because it will feature just about everyone , save Lyndon Johnson, we have focused on throughout our podcast run.  Jimmy Carter, John Jenrette, Henry Kissinger, Barbara Walters, Frank Reynolds, Ted Koppel, Walter Cronkite, and even Richard Nixon will all be featured at some point through out the night. Finally, the episode will end as former President Gerald Ford is interviewed  while Ronald Reagan comes out to address the nation for the first time as President - Elect and the two will talk on live TV.  It is a big night for the Republican Party as they win the Presidency and the Senate for the first time in a generation and break the New Deal Coalition that had dominated the nations politics since 1932.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

In this episode we follow Jimmy Carter's decision to normalize relations with the People's Republic of China. It was one of the most important decisions of Carter's term as President. It was also a decision that ended our recognition of the  government of the Republic of China on Taiwan. A decision that was met with some level of anger in the United States. It was a bold move.We will listen in on reaction to the decision in real time as the MacNeil/Lehrer PBS Newshour covered the news with guests National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski,  New York Representative Lester Wolf and Kansas Senator Bob Dole.  We will hear from President Carter both at the time and in his later years as he discusses the relationship with China and why he made the decisions he did at the the time. Finally, we will listen into ABC News with Frank Reynolds as he covers the Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping, arguably China's most important leader of the century, as he visited  the United States, on a months notice,  where he visited the Houston Space Center, attended a western rodeo, and generally charmed the American People like few leaders ever have especially one from a Communist Power.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Join Jamie G, Magnum Mills and The Soupdeucer for another episode of "The Night Pod Cometh". This time, they're discussing Season 16 Episode 4 of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" - "Frank vs. Russia".We will be spoiling ALL existing episodes of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" as well as any interviews, articles, podcasts, etc. You jabronis have been warned. Thank you for checking us out, please remember the FLAPS: Follow Like And Please Subscribe. It really helps us out, and we greatly appreciate it..Find us on social media @NightPodCometh and you can send feedback to NightPodCometh at gmail dot com.The Night Pod Cometh is presented by The Joe Blow Football Show (@JoeBlowShow) and Regular Dudes Watch Stuff (@DudesWatchStuff).Thanks again for checking us out, please check out our other content: Regular Dudes Watch Stuff (@DudesWatchStuff)Romancing the Gemstones (Covering the HBO show 'The Righteous Gemstones')The Bear Brigade (Covering the FX/Hulu show "The Bear")Suc10 (Covering the HBO show 'Succession')Compound B (@CompoundBPod) (Covering the Amazon show 'The Boys')Drunk on Dragons (@DrunkonDragons) (Covering the HBO Show 'House of the Dragon')The Ozark Podcast (@OzarkPodcast) (Covering the Netflix show 'Ozark')The Barry Podcast (@BarryPodcast) (Covering the HBO Show 'Barry')Saul Over Soon (@SaulOverSoon) (Covering 'Better Call Saul')Seize the Gap Fantasy Football (@SeizeTheGapFF) (Covering Fantasy Football, DFS, Dynasty Football, Wagering and MORE!)PBP: A Peaky Blinders Podcast (@PeakyPodcast) (Covering 'Peaky Blinders')Thank you again for checking out The Night Pod Cometh. Next up is Season 16 Episode 5: "Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab". The Night Pod Cometh episode covering that will release on Monday, July 3rd.#ItsAlwaysSunny #ItsAlwaysSunnyinPhiladelphia #Paddys

The Niche Guys return with another selection of lesser known media for you to meet at the end of the aisle, marry and hope they don't turn out to be a vapid talentless pick-me spouse. In this episode Henry hypes us up for the next season of anime and also gets super in-depth about Koala poop.  Alex rides a skateboard downhill by sitting on it and burns his Asuka shrine in shame.  And the boys sing Cats in the Cradle and make magic ring noises.  Media discussed and timestamps:  Video Games: Skies of Arcadia (22:31) TV/Movies: Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off (38:02) Anime/Manga: Cyberpunk Edgerunners (58:00) Music: The Uncanny Valley - Perturbator (1:14:09) Miscellaneous: Matt McMuscles - What Happened? (1:24:12) Email for recommendations and questions - askthenicheguys@gmail.com Social media Twitter - @nicheguys Instagram - @thenicheguyspodcast Intro music is 'I Used To Love Hip-Hop' by Audiobinger Transition music is 'Passing Time' by BoxCat Games Outro music is 'Enthusiast' by Tours Logo Artwork by Diana Perrera @deepeearts 

Frank Reynolds, R.I.

Welcome to our legitimate show of It's Always Sunny!    This episode has your co-hosts talking magic in the air, fake teeth, being a Yankee doodle dandy,  the deepness of benches, gruesome repairs, a general love of pageantry, the penguin, the meanest girl in the world, the future of patriotism, noses being busted to bits, Walter being very pleased, a lot of bad words, titty bars, belonging in the bathroom, looking suspicious, and how moms are stupid...a-doyyyyyyy    This episode gets to be mean because its a star 

We got two Philly dads this week because we assumed the Eagles would destroy the Chiefs.  Adam is representing team Goldbergs and Jeremy is representing team Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The guys talk dial up internet, Dissection, Soundgarden, hairy hippy chicks, our favorite football video games and a pitch for a football movie.Start a podcast with Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1349671Check out Jeremy's Music:https://soundcloud.com/user-673035821-538929112

Do you have your Magnum condoms and your wad of $100s? Are you ready to plow?

Oh shit. Wow.

Meghan and Harry's Netflix docuseries will arrive in december, Season 2 of Bel Air will stream February 23 and happy 78th Birthday Danny DeVito!

On today's episode of “All Good Things,” Jason sits down with legendary actor, producer and director Danny Devito and his daughter Lucy to talk about their new controversial animated show,” Little Demon.” The three talk about some of Danny's most iconic roles including how Danny ended up playing Frank Reynolds on “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Plus, Lucy gives us insight on what it's like to grow up Devito, why her show is being boycotted by some and which one of her dad's friends she always had a crush on. Danny and Lucy take us through the process of making an animated show, the show's subversive nature and how “Rick and Morty‘s” Dan Harmon played a big part. Plus, Danny talks about coming out of the couch naked, his friendship with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and George Clooney and Robin Williams' undeniable skill. This is an inspiring podcast and one of our favorites so far. Make sure to tune in for the season finale of “Little Demon” tonight on FXX and Hulu. Follow Jason: Instagram: @jasonnash Twitter: @jasonnash TikTok: @jasonnash To watch the podcast on YouTube: Jason's Channel Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: https://bit.ly/AllGoodThingsPodcast If you like the show, telling a friend about it would be amazing! You can text, email, Tweet, or send this link to a friend: https://bit.ly/AllGoodThingsPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on BM, we discuss Jenn's recent diagnosis from her medical corner. She officially has [Donkey Brain] just like her mentor, Frank Reynolds - and intends to use this condition to stop Luke from pressing buttons during recording. We all decide it's funny when she gets mad and continue on to the [Sinead O'Connor Fact Corner] with everyone's favorite BM host, Edward! Katie also needs to address a medical issue from her life and talks about her bitchin' new tattoo that she got from some carnival where they were dragging the elderly around with a [Ford F-150]. Also, Edward likes to call people the [C-Word] during online video game times. Katie ran into a family member at a local convenience store and Edward got a [Cheeseburger Dog] from the roller grill! This week we rehash an old game - [Name That Jam - 1980's Edition]! There's a new spin this time and you're just going to have to listen to find out what it is! Remember to follow us on Instagram @bubbmush and email the show at bubbmush@gmail.com - Thanks for viewing and listening to our dum dum podcast!

"Hercules! Hercules Hercules!" - some Eddie Murphy character not in Disney's "Hercules." The first half of the 1990s was a pinnacle for Disney Animation. After the run of "The Little Mermaid" (technically 1989), "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin" and "The Lion King" (plus Pixar's debut "Toy Story" in 1995), the studio had nowhere to go but down, though many Old Millennials (us included) will vouch for the likes of "Mulan" and "Pocahontas." But "Hercules?" Man, "Hercules" is weird. Trying to Disney-fi grisly mythology is a daunting task all on its own. Then attempt to add songs, an underdeveloped female pro/antagonist, and a rambling James Woods as Hades. It's a colorful movie but messy as a functional narrative. That's not even mentioning Danny DeVito doing a dry run for Frank Reynolds on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and, look, that sounds good on paper, but his sidekick character Phil might be a sex predator, which seems a little out of place here. Old Millennials hosts Tyler and Angela try to remember if they ever even saw "Hercules" back in the 90s. They did, but, you know, it's not that memorable. Plenty to discuss nevertheless, including a nerdy breakdown of how the movie squanders its best song, "Go the Distance," by splitting it up into 20-second segments in between expository dialogue. The Old Millennials also attempt to decipher Meg, a character with a fiery personality and a muddled backstory. We'd rather watch a movie all about Meg and why she appears to be indebted to Hades. Hercules is a dullard. Plain toast. Maybe a little  margarine. You may believe it's butter, but you won't believe they created such a dull lead for this movie. Also discussed on this episode of Old Millennials Remember Movies Thor: Love & Thunder (2022) Lightyear (2022) Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) The Gray Man (2022) ChickenHare (2022) Army of One (2016)  

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Today's episode is also brought to you by Elroy's fine foods. The uncommon market, a revival of the community market promising you an uncommon shopping experience and the finest of groceries and prepared foods. When Chloe and I first envisioned what Elroy's fine foods would become. We wanted to build a market that was focused on building community, a beautiful store that not only sells incredible foods, but also prioritizes environmental and social responsibility and provides the community with a safe space to shop, eat, and hang out. Elroy's fine foods is located in Monterey, California, offering the most delicious prepared foods, curated grocery certified organic produce, a full service bulk food section fine cheeses, natural wines, local beers, and humanely raised meats and sustainably caught seafood. Elroy's fine foods. The uncommon market. 15 Soledad Drive, Monterey, California.We're proud to be sponsored by Delta wines, our everyday go-to with sustainability built in. Delta wines are vibrant yet balanced, made to be enjoyed on special occasions like Tuesday. And in addition to tasting good, they also help you feel good with eco-friendly packaging, and environmental nonprofit donations from every purchase. Buy online at winesforchange.com. As a Contacts listener, please use the code CONTACTS at checkout for a discount.This episode is brought to you by LMNT! Spelled LMNT. What is LMNT? It's a delicious, sugar-free electrolyte drink-mix. I tried this recently after hearing about it on another podcast, and since then, I've stocked up on boxes and boxes of this and usually use it 1–2 times per day. LMNT is a great alternative to other commercial recovery and performance drinks. As a coach or an athlete, you will not find a better product that focuses on the essential electrolyte your body needs during competition. LMNT has become a staple in my own training and something we are excited to offer to our coaches and student-athletes as well. LMNT is used by Military Special Forces teams, Team USA weightlifting, At least 5 NFL teams, and more than half the NBA.You can try it risk-free. If you don't like it, LMNT will give you your money back no questions asked. They have extremely low return rates. LMNT came up with a very special offer for you as a listener to this podcast. For a limited time, you can claim a free LMNT Sample Pack—you only cover the cost of shipping. For US customers, this means you can receive an 8-count sample pack for only $5. Simply go to DrinkLMNT.com/contacts to claim your free 8-count sample pack.

Unfortunately, this episode isn't ENTIRELY dedicated to the original Super Mario Bros. movie...This week, Rick and Ben dive into the intersection of movies and video games! Everything from licensed games to video game movies is touched upon, and no tangent is spared! Seriously - this might be one of our more laid back episodes. Every tangent from Frank Reynolds to the still standing Star Wars Episode 1 Pepsi Machine in Mount Washington, PA makes an appearance! Do it up!PATREON: www.patreon.com/pixelprojectradio DISCORD: https://discord.gg/Rfjx2ptWP5TWITTER: @pixelprojectpodINSTAGRAM: @pixelprojectradiopodcastThank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

Kristyn LaMoia is a Key West Artist and that's a lovely thing to be. We discuss tutu party attire, quoting Prince, wasting time on social media, summer travels, taking out the taser, Harry Potter is a little scary, societal expectations after 30, upcoming art shows, the many faces of Frank Reynolds, I wear a lot of black, traveling to the motherland, my favorite meal, dude review, lenticular prints, selling the $1000 Iron Maiden cup, catching people humping on my neighbors washing machine and more.Thanks to my sponsors@www.keyscoffee.co @www.22andco.com@www.pokeintherear.com@www.generalhorseplay.com 

Hey Danny fans!! This week we are coming at you live with a special tribute to the big man himself! Quick poll: Which Danny DeVito character would you let hold your drink during a night on the town? Join along as the buds discuss this among other things on this week's episode!! *Warning: The audio got messed up again so it might sound a little tinny. It's not you, it's us. We'll do better next time

Happy Holidays, everyone! Grab yourself a local train schedule and get ready to go on a journey only to find out that Christmas is just a bunch of bullshit; Your dad stole all your presents and that your mom gets boned by a series of never ending Santa Clauses. In this extra long episode of the Always Sunny Cast you'll learn about OmniBot, what it's like to be in a rut, Sergio Giorgini handbags, a scumbag named Eugene, that you can't make modifications to a Countach (it's peeerfect), Mike Schmidt (but you already knew), Frank Reynolds can be a dick of a father, chekhov's reverse miracle snow canon, and racist singing raisins! Hope you enjoy, and we'll see you all in the new year! Rate, subscribe, review on itunes and other streaming services. If you feel inclined - buymeacoffee.com/alwayssunnycast   #itsalwayssunnyinphiladelphia #itsalwayssunny #alwayssunny #iasip #fxxnetwork #podbean #podcasts #comedy #tvshows #dannydevito #frankreynolds #robmcelhenney #kaitlinolson #deereynolds #glennhowerton #dennisreynolds #charliekelly #charlieday #paddyspub #sunnychristmas #christmas #holidays #traditions  

I play their two hits and give you a little trivia.

This week Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia taking on Shameless. Jeremy is representing team Shameless with Frank Gallagher. Adam is representing team Sunny with Frank Reynolds. The guys talk Chipzel, Buckethead, Mario 3D All Stars and a Steven Segal fight school idea.Start a podcast with Buzzsprout:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1349671

Enjoying the show? Please support BFF.FM with a donation. Playlist 0′00″ Человечность by UMAN on Chaleur Humaine (freedom to spend) 1′35″ Sekret by Pejzaż on Wyspa (Bartosz Kruczyński) 6′10″ Rock Mignon (Filet Dub) by Lopo on Duppy Vaulted (2011 - 2021) (Bokeh Versions) 10′25″ Kill-A-Milli (feat. Papa Roger Robinson) by Seekersinternational on Presents Ragga Preservation Society - Worldwide Sound (Diskotopia) 14′28″ Everything Is Fine by Charisma on Everything Is Fine - Single (Emotional Rescue) 17′45″ Be Thankful by One Blood on Be Thankful (Emotional Rescue) 25′35″ Dosti by Nazia Hassan & Zoheb Hassan on Naya Beat Volume 1: South Asian Dance and Electronic Music 1983-1992 (Naya Beat Records) 30′05″ Nostalgia (Il Sapore Di Quell'estate) by Modula on Bacolearica - Single (Tugboat Motion Company) 33′22″ Fools Paradise by Valerie Harrison on For the Love of You, Vol. 2 (Athens Of The North) 38′15″ Life and Death - А F T Є Я Г Ї F Є (Farragol remix) by Farragol on CHAOS (self released) 41′20″ Be Yourself (Motivational Mix) by Space Ghost on Dance Planet (Tartelet Records) 45′30″ Hometown Dream by Helado Negro on Far In (Private Energy under exclusive license to 4AD Ltd.) 50′52″ What's Good for the Goose (feat. Supercoolwicked) by Omar S on What's Good for the Goose (feat. Supercoolwicked) - Single (FXHE Records) 53′10″ Me Espera (Gaspar Muniz Remix) by Mulú & Letrux on Me Espera - Single (Mulú) 58′45″ Your Love is Keeping Me Alive by Azar Lawrence on Shadow Dancing (Light In The Attic Records) 62′18″ Searchin' by Frank Reynolds & The Re:Generations on Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now - Single (Star Creature) 66′55″ Golden Green by Emma-Jean Thackray on Yellow (Movementt) 70′45″ rashida jones by P. Morris & MORRI$ on rashida jones - Single (Bear Club Music Group) 73′30″ Knockin (Rip Screw & Pimp C) by Amadeezy on Thee Alpha and Omega , Vol. VII (Clan Destine Records) 76′12″ Soul Belongs 2 U by dreamcastmoe on After All This - EP (In Real Life under exclusive license to AWAL Recordings America, Inc.) 78′50″ Dreaming by Ashaye on V4 Visions: Label Sampler - EP (Numero Group) 83′50″ Dreamin's For Free by Ben Pirani on Dreamin's For Free - Single (Colemine Records) 87′50″ This Is the Way I Am by La'Fez on Rust Side Story Vol. 24 (Numero Group) 90′55″ Do You Feel It Working (with L'Eclair) by Maston on Souvenir (with L'Eclair) (Innovative Leisure / Calico Discos) 94′45″ Find It In Your Eyes by The System on The System (Music From Memory) 99′10″ Kinky Love by Maria Somerville on Kinky Love - Single (4AD Ltd.) 103′00″ Cambios En El Tiempo by Vandana on Back Up: Mexican Tecno Pop 1980-1989 (Dark Entries Records) 106′45″ A' Fumme Marjua' by Avida on Avida (Hot Elephant Music) 111′10″ Not Just Another by Mike Hounshell on Sometime Somewhere (The Numero Group) 113′35″ Dancing with My Demons (feat. Paul Cherry) by Eyedress on Mulholland Drive (Lex Records Ltd) 117′10″ I Must Spread My Genes by Charles on Let's Start a Family Tonight (Babe City Records) Check out the full archives on the website.

Listen every Friday from 21 till 22 (Moscow time) Jazz FM (radiojazzfm.ru) Subscribe in iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ru/podcast/funk-and-beyond-weekly/id1063844118?mt=2 for more details please visit beyondfunk.ru tracklist: 1. Ego Ella May - Table for One 2. Mario Sulaksana - Rain (feat. Sara Marie Barron) 3. Raúl Monsalve y los Forajidos feat. Luzmira Zerpa - Bocón (Orestes Gomez Remix) 4. The Luvmenauts - Follow Your IC 1805 5. SUNDUR - Heart of Stone (feat. Adam Theis) 6. Chicano Batman - Pastel Sunrise 7. Tribe Mars - Best Fishes 8. Durand Jones and the Indications - Make a Change 9. Emilia Sisco and Cold Diamond and Mink - Don't Believe You Like That 10. The Soul Snatchers - Soul to Soul 11. ATA Records - Sirens Sea 12. Magic In Threes - Diggin' Dirt 13. Super db - Dancing in a Rainstorm 14. Kat Eaton - Checking In 15. Glass Beams - Kong 16. Frank Reynolds and The Re-Generations - Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now b-w Searchin' 17. The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble - Build Bridges 18. Gianni Oddi - Geronimo

In this episode of Los Introverts we talk about Italy winning the UEFA EUROS, Connor McGregor losing his match, the real life Frank Reynolds, how Los Introverts feel about birthdays, life in New York, we hold a spelling bee in honor of Zaila Avant-garde, and Jordy gets exposed.Video Version on Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC32Xo3YfTdaz5M6mv8z5j4gMusic brought to you by Sounds Like an Earfulhttps://soundslikeanearful.com/

Kwite Sane goes in on the golden era with a full clip of 90s flavors from Main Source, K-Solo, Pharcyde, Cypress Hill and many more. Plus Nina Hagen's delirious ode to "New York, New York", DMX's triumphant last act featuring Griselda, and Kiefer and Frank Reynolds channeling the genius of Roy Ayers. View the full playlist for this show at http://www.wefunkradio.com/show/1078 Enjoying WEFUNK? Listen to all of our mixes at http://www.wefunkradio.com/shows/

Listen every Friday from 21 till 22 (Moscow time) Jazz FM (radiojazzfm.ru) Subscribe in iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ru/podcast/funk-and-beyond-weekly/id1063844118?mt=2 for more details please visit beyondfunk.ru tracklist: 1. Soul Supreme - Let's Ride 2. Sola Rosa - My Love (instrumental) 3. The Haggis Horns - Give It Up (Don't Take Part In The Madness) (Abstract Orchestra Remix) (instrumental) 4. Gizelle Smith - Riot Cars 5. the Brecjer Brothers - Big Idea 6. Devils Of Moko - Olivia 7. Funky DL - Tables Will Turn 8. Mocambo Allstars - Free Vibes 9. Sgjazz and Dr Dundiff - The Forest Fire 10. Kinny and Horne - Dignity 11. Kruder and Dorfmeister - Swallowed The Moon 12. Misty Oldland - I Wrote You A Song 13. DJ Spinna - Beat 3 14. Frank Reynolds and The Re-Generations - Searchin' 15. Raquel Martins - Show Me 16. Dojo Cuts - Return of the Son of Switchblade 17. Arlo Parks - Hope 18. Stanley Turrentine with Milt Jackson - Speed Ball

Join us for our latest series, "Culture Shock" as we study the conflict of what society tells us to seek and how God has called us to live. Join us this morning as we discuss the role of financial stability in the life of believers. We are also joined by Frank Reynolds and the Rwanda Mission Team to share of their experience and how they saw God working in that country this last trip.

Heyo! It's the one you've been waiting for... the Danny DeVito Tribute Episode!! This episode Shelby and Corrina talk about all things Danny - from acting to producing to just being an amazing human being. The gals discuss their favorite Frank Reynolds moments from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and want to know: have you paid the Troll Toll? Find out which Danny role has got Corrina mad spooked and why Shelby knows so much about Matilda. Who said yes to Tarantino when no one else would? Hint: this podcast is named after him. Come along and find out why Danny is the girls' favorite actor and why he should be your's too. Honor the man, the myth, and the legend in this special homage episode to Danny DeVito. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

We continue our deep dive into the psyche of Frank Reynolds with a look at 1992's Batman Returns

Georgia made history this week: The state elected a Black Senator on Tuesday for the first time ever. Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Morehouse graduate who serves as senior pastor of the storied Ebenezer Baptist Church once pastored by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will be representing Georgia in the Senate as soon as the results are certified. Along with the win of his fellow Georgian, Jon Ossoff, the Senate will effectively be in Democratic hands, as will the House and the Presidency. Sadly, a different kind of history was also made this week, when an angry, violent, mob of mostly white Trump supporters broke into the Capitol on Wednesday, smashing windows, destroying private offices and violating public spaces. With encouragement from the man occupying the highest office in the land, the mob forced our elected representatives to flee the House and Senate floors as they were undertaking the constitutionally mandated certification of the 2020 presidential election. The people who perpetrated this attack against our democracy were fueled by misinformation, much of it coming from the President himself: That dead people had voted, that voting machines had somehow switched votes, that the election was rigged and widespread fraud had handed Biden the presidency. But they were also acting on another kind of misinformation, another kind of lie—a lie that erases the genius and the contributions of Black people, a lie that ignores the fact that it was Black hands that made America what it is, that unpaid Black labor built the very buildings that serve as the seat of our democracy (https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/slave-labor-commemorative-marker) . They were fueled by the lie that is white supremacy. If we are to move beyond the gridlock that has been our political fate for years, we need to face up to this lie embedded deep within our entire public life. On this week’s show, your hosts Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren undertake a system check of the very foundation of our politics. Our guest and guide this week is Hasan Kwame Jeffries, associate professor of history at The Ohio State University where he teaches courses on the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. He reminds us that the violence we saw at the Capitol this week is not an anomaly—in fact, political violence is what birthed this nation. The American Revolution, the Civil War, the brutal suppression of Reconstruction and the stiff resistance to the Civil Rights Movement, political violence has long been used to perpetuate white supremacy in this country. And too often, Black agency and emancipation has been bartered away to avoid further political violence. But Prof. Jeffries points us toward a way to hold people—whether they’re the people who stormed the Capitol or the politicians who egged them on—accountable for their political violence, and a way to recognizing and honoring the full contributions that Black Americans have made to our republic. Our final word this week goes to Professor Blair Kelley, Associate Professor of History at North Carolina State University. System Check listeners will remember Prof. Kelley from episode 2, in which she gave us a deeply personal perspective on voter suppression (https://www.thenation.com/podcast/politics/voting-election-electoral-college/) —this week, she reminds us of all the working class Black folks who have asserted their right to participate in a political system that more often than not thwarted and devalued their input. It is our task to honor their legacy. System Checklist Transforming analysis into action, the System Check Team gives listeners three action items this week: Take Action: The politicians who aided and abetted this week’s assault on democracy must be held accountable. Prof. Hasan Kwame Jeffries’s brother, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (https://twitter.com/RepJeffries/status/1347245549188239360?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet) , is one of a chorus of politicians who came out today demanding President Trump’s removal from office. Add your name as a co-signer of Rep. Cori Bush’s bill to investigate and expel members of congress who fomented the storming of the Capitol (https://gopcoup.com/) , and help shift the balance of power in the Senate, that most unequal of institutions, by telling your representatives to make Washington, DC the 51st state (https://statehood.dc.gov/page/contact-congress#/3/) . Get Informed: How do we fight misinformation? By educating ourselves. This week’s political violence didn’t come out of nowhere (https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/proud-boys-capitol/) , it’s a clear response to the progressive political gains made this year, facilitated by the work of Black women from Stacey Abrams all the way back to Fannie Lour Hamer (https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/black-women-voting-rights/) . Check out Prof. Jeffries’s moving TedTalk (https://www.ted.com/talks/hasan_kwame_jeffries_why_we_must_confront_the_painful_parts_of_us_history/transcript?language=en#t-95967) , mentioned in today’s show. Listen to Rev. Raphael Warnock’s speech (https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/elections/raphael-warnock-georgia-senate-runoff-statement/507-43edf954-2b32-4730-a035-fde09b50f2b5) after his defeat of Sen. Kelly Loeffler to learn how the son of a woman who picked someone else’s cotton could become a US Senator. Watch: And while you’re at it, treat yourself to Elizabeth Alexander’s full reading of “Praise Song for the Day” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vLBnFk-OFc) at the 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama. As always, we welcome your additions to our Checklist! Use our Twitter (https://twitter.com/SystemCheckPod) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SystemCheckPod/) pages to add your comments, suggested actions, and organizations to support. And if you like the show, subscribe on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/system-check/id1536830138) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/0vI1wNUVfYbZXMIM6nciaX?si=VoRgIzndRVG4Xw_rQNGKmQ) , or wherever you get your podcasts for new episodes every Friday. System Check is a project of The Nation magazine, hosted by Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren and produced by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Support for System Check comes from Omidyar Network, a social change venture that is reimagining how capitalism should work. Learn more about their efforts to recenter our economy around individuals, community, and societal well-being at Omidyar.com (http://omidyar.com/) . Our executive producer is Frank Reynolds. Our theme music is by Brooklyn-based artist and producer Jachary (https://jachary.bandcamp.com/) . Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: http://thenation.com/systemchecksubs.

This week on System Check we are saying farewell to 2020 and hello to 2021 with our first System Check Book Club. Your hosts Melissa and Dorian first aired this Book Club as a Live Event (https://www.thenation.com/article/society/system-check-live-video/) on YouTube and Facebook just in time for holiday reading. While the original show was over two hours long (https://www.facebook.com/7629206115/videos/199505105156343) , for our podcast this week we decided to share with you some of the highlights from the live event. First up is Maria Hinojosa (https://www.futuromediagroup.org/maria-hinojosa/) , journalist , storyteller and founder of Futuro Media Group. She is the host and executive producer of the brilliant and informative weekly NPR show Latino USA, and anchor of the Emmy Award-winning talk show Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One. Her latest book, Once I Was You: a Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Once-I-Was-You/Maria-Hinojosa/9781982128654) was published by Atria Books and received well-earned, rave reviews this fall. We talk with her about the system of immigration, particularly the cruel and harmful practices of family separation of young immigrant children from their parents, the role of state agents who insist they are simply “doing their job” as well as those brave enough to resist, and the personal origins of her book title. Next we speak with Rumaan Alam (https://rumaanalam.com/) , author of the gripping, searing and suspenseful novel Leave The World Behind (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/leave-the-world-behind-rumaan-alam?variant=32123411365922&utm_source=aps&utm_medium=athrweb&utm_campaign=aps) . With bylines in many places including The Nation (https://www.thenation.com/authors/rumaan-alam/) , Alam’s fictional characters in his third novel feel as though they are grappling with the dystopia of their new domestic lives, revealing deep-seated racism, and coping with the death-dealing consequences of environmental and political disaster. Sound familiar? Leave the World Behind was a finalist for this year’s National Book Award and has already been optioned by Netflix. Although written in 2018 and 2019, it seems like the year 2020 released the lived experience version of this novel. Up next is a powerful, brutal, and insightful new book by New York Times best-selling author Scott Farris (https://www.c-span.org/person/?scottfarris02) . Freedom on Trial: The First Post Civil-War Battle Over Civil Rights and Voter Suppression (http://www.thelyonspress.com/book/9781493046355) tells the story of the federal government prosecution of the South Carolina Ku Klux Klan in the early 1870s. Farris talks with us about the system of citizenship—and the contested meanings of the 14th and 15th Amendments during the Reconstruction period, the role of radical Republicans in the fight for racial justice, and the specific role of Farris’s own great grandfather in this overlooked historical saga of the KKK. Our colleague John Nichols, (https://www.thenation.com/authors/john-nichols/) National Affairs Correspondent for The Nation, joins us next to discuss his latest book, The Fight for the Soul of the Democratic Party: The Enduring Legacy of Henry Wallace’s Anti-Fascist, Anti-Racist Politics (https://www.versobooks.com/books/3082-the-fight-for-the-soul-of-the-democratic-party) . In the book, John reveals the legacy of former Vice President Henry Wallace, who warned of the persisting “Danger of American Fascism” and urged the Democratic Party to reject imperialism in favor of a genuinely progressive future. It is a message, Nichols says, the Democratic party needs to heed now. Nichols brings the often forgotten visionary, politician, activist and philanthropist Wallace to the fore of mid-century American politics, charting the untraveled paths he envisioned for the Democratic Party, including a post-war peace that was rooted in human dignity and justice abroad and domestically. And John answers the question: does the Democratic Party today have a soul to fight for? Our final selection for this week’s episode offers a very different way of thinking about systems. Although this book is about one man—athlete, artist, philosopher, and activist, Paul Robeson—it isn’t so much a biography as an exploration of Robeson as a system, a technology, an element and vibration. Intrigued? Tune in to hear Shana Redmond (https://drshanaredmond.com/) , Professor of Musicology and African American Studies at UCLA, and author of Everything Man: The Form and Function of Paul Robeson (https://www.dukeupress.edu/everything-man) , as she talks with our hosts about this extraordinary book, including how Robeson was to Henry Wallace in 1948 as Killa Mike was to Bernie Sanders in 2020. A very special thanks to all of our authors that joined us for first System Check Book Club (https://www.thenation.com/article/society/system-check-live-video/) , as well as all of our partners for the live event including: The Anna Julia Cooper Center (https://ajccenter.com/) , Community Change Action (https://communitychangeaction.org/) , The New York Public Library (https://www.nypl.org/) , Tattered Cover Bookstore (https://www.tatteredcover.com/) , and of course the home of System Check The Nation (https://www.thenation.com/) . Like System Check? Follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SystemCheckPod) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SystemCheckPod/) , and subscribe on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/system-check/id1536830138) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/0vI1wNUVfYbZXMIM6nciaX?si=VoRgIzndRVG4Xw_rQNGKmQ) , or wherever you get your podcasts for new episodes every Friday. System Check is a project of The Nation magazine, hosted by Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren and produced by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Support for System Check comes from Omidyar Network, a social change venture that is reimagining how capitalism should work. Learn more about their efforts to recenter our economy around individuals, community, and societal well-being at Omidyar.com (http://omidyar.com/) . Our executive producer is Frank Reynolds. Our theme music is by Brooklyn-based artist and producer Jachary (https://jachary.bandcamp.com/) . Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: http://thenation.com/systemchecksubs.

President-elect Joe Biden has made history: This week, he announced that Rep. Deb Haaland would be his pick for head of the Interior Department, the first Native American person ever to a Cabinet-level position, making Biden’s Cabinet the most diverse in history. This kind of representation is important, but it’s not enough, because far from Washington, Native Americans are dying at disproportionate rates from the Coronavirus pandemic. In October, the death rate from Covid-19 on the Navajo Nation was higher than in any state. In South Dakota, the Cheyenne River Lakota reservation is fighting to keep roadblocks up to prevent the spread of the virus (https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/lakota-tribal-sovereignty-covid/) , despite the order from the state’s governor to take them down. And Neshoba County, Mississippi, home of the Mississippi Band of the Choctaw, had the highest rate of death per capita in the entire of Mississippi due to coronavirus, devastating the tribe (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/us/choctaw-indians-coronavirus.html) . Neshoba (https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/fifty-years-after-freedom-summer-voting-rights-act-needed-more-ever/) : If that rings a bell, it’s probably because it was at the Neshoba County Fair in 1980 that then-candidate Ronald Reagan launched his campaign for the Presidency on the platform of “state’s rights,” ushering in four decades of neoliberal (https://www.thenation.com/article/economy/biden-inequality-coronavirus/) policies that have devalued and gutted many of the core functions of government (https://www.thenation.com/podcast/society/coronavirus-public-health/) meant to protect us from...deadly epidemics. On this week’s System Check, Melissa and Dorian follow up on last week’s episode (https://www.thenation.com/podcast/society/coronavirus-public-health/) to explore the system of finding a cure for the coronavirus epidemic that has killed more than 300,000 Americans so far. Finding a vaccine, for sure a scientific feat of epic proportions, is hopeful news. And while necessary, it is not sufficient to understand and transform the systems that have resulted in mind-numbing mass death. We have to push ourselves to also ask the questions: what are the systems that created and sustained the crisis? And how can we bring about a dramatic change not just of the system of science or the system of public health, but rather of the whole ecosystem that made this pandemic possible? We offer a few plausible answers found at the intersection of science, social science and activism. For insight into these intersecting systems, Melissa and Dorian talk to Gregg Gonsalves (https://www.thenation.com/authors/gregg-gonsalves/) , Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Professor of Law at Yale University, to help us think about the Covid-19 pandemic beyond a clinical perspective. And he offers ideas about how to build our social immunity to defeat the virus, and the vast inequalities that make it deadlier for far too many. We then check-in with Alondra Nelson (https://www.ssrc.org/staff/nelson-alondra/) , president of the Social Science Research Council and the Harold F. Linder Professor in the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, New Jersey. She tells us about the creation of the Coronavirus Syllabus (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dTkJmhWQ8NcxhmjeLp6ybT1_YOPhFLx9hZ43j1S7DjE/edit) , and the necessary efforts to mobilize science and social science for the public good. And she reminds us that the solutions to this pandemic are not only biological and clinical (https://www.thenation.com/article/society/black-maternal-reproductive-health/) , but also require communities of social and human sciences working collaboratively to tackle exclusion, exploitation, and inequality. The missing piece, and one too often left out of public health conversations, is grassroots organizing. That’s why our final word this week comes from Lenice Emmanuel (http://www.alisj.org/letter-from-executive-director/) , Executive Director of the Alabama Institute for Social Justice. She reminds us that activism is what system change looks like on the ground, and that what Black people in the South and everyone vulnerable and marginalized across our country need are systems that allow them to thrive. And yes, childcare and coinage. System Checklist Transforming analysis into action, the System Check Team gives listeners three action items this week: Mask Up (https://www.thenation.com/article/society/covid-vaccine-mask-relief/) : We said it last week and we’ll say it again: With vaccines rolling out, there is light at the end of this tunnel. But we’re far from the end of the pandemic, and your actions now could save the lives of people in your community, maybe even people in your own home. Educate yourself: The Coronavirus Syllabus (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dTkJmhWQ8NcxhmjeLp6ybT1_YOPhFLx9hZ43j1S7DjE/edit#heading=h.kgodab1cx8ey) that Alondra Nelson highlights in this week’s episode is a cross-disciplinary treasure trove of research about the virus, a humane list of music and literature about past pandemics, and helpful syllabi and teaching resources for educating young people about this difficult time in our history. Dig in! RSVP: Lastly, you’re invited to the first ever System Check Book Club. This Saturday, December 19, at 5pm Eastern, join Melissa and Dorian for a live video event—they’ll be talking the authors of some of their favorite books from this year, and looking ahead to titles to watch out for in 2021. Register here for this free event (https://www.facebook.com/110234874208797/posts/140167737882177/?fbclid=IwAR1nkpjSsv1YOR6nYO0j4BC6aQu_CupmJ0iIeq_9UmF3GXBtsa7sbSHtJ48) . As always, we welcome your additions to our Checklist! Use our Twitter (https://twitter.com/SystemCheckPod) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SystemCheckPod/) pages to add your comments, suggested actions, and organizations to support. And if you like the show, subscribe on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/system-check/id1536830138) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/0vI1wNUVfYbZXMIM6nciaX?si=VoRgIzndRVG4Xw_rQNGKmQ) , or wherever you get your podcasts for new episodes every Friday. System Check is a project of The Nation magazine, hosted by Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren and produced by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Support for System Check comes from Omidyar Network, a social change venture that is reimagining how capitalism should work. Learn more about their efforts to recenter our economy around individuals, community, and societal well-being at Omidyar.com (http://omidyar.com/) . Our executive producer is Frank Reynolds. Our theme music is by Brooklyn-based artist and producer Jachary (https://jachary.bandcamp.com/) . Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: http://thenation.com/systemchecksubs.

Mad Max vs Tallahassee and Frank Reynolds vs The Revolting Blob

The boys talk about part II of our Frank Reynolds origin story with Batman Returns. Full episode available at https://www.patreon.com/AlwaysStockholm

Defund. That one word has motivated thousands across the country to take to the streets this year to end police violence against Black Americans, and it has also become the punching bag for some Democratic politicians to explain their electoral misfortunes this cycle. But that word, defund, also explains why the United States surpassed 3,000 deaths from Covid-19 in a single day for the first time this week. That staggering number—just one day’s toll from Covid-19—surpasses the number of Americans who died on 9/11. The federal government’s response to those attacks in 2001 was to spend $6 trillion dollars (https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/pentagon-military-madness/) to address a so-called “national security emergency.” But when it comes to the national public health emergency brought on by Covid-19 that is the equivalent of 9/11 daily? We’ve seen nothing near the same urgency or funding from the highest levels of the federal government. Instead, the decades-long defunding and disinvestment from our public health system that has allowed the pandemic to become an uncontrolled disaster continues. On this week’s System Check, your hosts Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren explore the Covid-19 pandemic in the first of a two-part series that looks under the hood of our public health system. More than 286,000 people have died from Covid-19, but this week President-elect Biden announced his top-level health care team and an FDA panel voted to approve the emergency use of new vaccines. What the new administration will inherit—and need to reconstruct—is a hollowed-out federal government and public health infrastructure, the result not only of decisions and incompetence of the current lame-duck Administration, but of decades of disinvestment. To understand how our system of public health is vital to the entire body politic, Melissa and Dorian check-in with Dr. Monica McLemore, Associate Professor of Family Health Care Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco (https://profiles.ucsf.edu/monica.mclemore) where she is an affiliated scientist with Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, and a member of the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. Reframing the conversation of health away from a private, individualistic clinical model and toward a comprehensive, collective public health model, Professor Mclemore explains, has meaningful consequences for resource allocation and, of course, for lives lost or lives saved. When the public health system is working well, its work tends to be invisible, but as Professor Mclemore explains, we all might be living with Covid-19 for a long time, even with the promise of vaccines. Your hosts then check in with—and get a final word from—Dr. Chris Pernell, a Board-certified preventive medicine and public health physician based in Newark, New Jersey (https://twitter.com/drchrismd?lang=en) . Dr. Pernell reminds us of the necessity of well-functioning public health systems in creating healthy individuals, families, and communities. Sharing a truly personal story of how the deadly coronavirus went beyond her practice to affect her loved ones at home, she reminds us of the power of storytelling to create a more just, equitable, and accountable system of public health. System Checklist Transforming analysis into action, the System Check Team gives listeners three action items this week: Mask Up (https://www.thenation.com/article/society/covid-vaccine-mask-relief/) . Protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community by wearing a mask, and continuing to follow trusted guidelines around social distancing and other preventative steps to stop the spread of Covid-19. Stay informed with the latest updates from The Nation (https://www.thenation.com/keyword/coronavirus/) , on everything from whether and how you’ll be able to get vaccinated (https://www.thenation.com/article/society/covid-vaccine-mask-relief/) , to how messaging alone is not enough (https://www.thenation.com/article/society/public-health-messaging-covid/) to fix our public health crisis, to analysis on the Biden Administration’s appointments (https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/biden-cabinet-appointments-progressives/) and personnel, to ideas around creating a Coronavirus Commission (https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/congress-covid-commission-biden/) modeled after the 9/11 Commission. Get active and stay engaged! Continue to keep your eyes on Georgia (https://www.thenation.com/podcast/politics/georgia-biden-stacey-abrams/) and support efforts on the ground to expand democracy and sustain voter mobilization in the run-off election for the state’s two Senate seats on January 5, 2021 which will determine control of the Senate. The outcome of this race will determine just how bold and progressive the federal government’s response will be to the crisis in our public health system. It will also determine the national response to the other intertwined crises--especially of the system of poverty (https://www.thenation.com/podcast/society/poverty-inequality-basic-income/) and other systems of injustice (https://www.thenation.com/podcast/politics/voting-election-electoral-college/) that continue to marginalize far too many. As always, we welcome your additions to our Checklist! Use our Twitter (https://twitter.com/SystemCheckPod) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SystemCheckPod/) pages to add your comments, suggested actions, and organizations to support. And if you like the show, Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/system-check/id1536830138) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/0vI1wNUVfYbZXMIM6nciaX?si=VoRgIzndRVG4Xw_rQNGKmQ) , or wherever you get your podcasts for new episodes every Friday. System Check is a project of The Nation magazine, hosted by Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren and produced by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Support for System Check comes from Omidyar Network, a social change venture that is reimagining how capitalism should work. Learn more about their efforts to recenter our economy around individuals, community, and societal well-being at Omidyar.com (http://omidyar.com/) . Our executive producer is Frank Reynolds. Our theme music is by Brooklyn-based artist and producer Jachary (https://jachary.bandcamp.com/) . Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: http://thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.

Well, we tried didn't we? We're breaking down the '70s classic "One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest" as we talk Jack Nicholson, the depiction of mental health facilities in movies, and young Frank Reynolds. Plus. Connor addresses the ghost in his apartment.

There are a lot of jobs we as a country don’t value. Think farm work, child care, service jobs—these low-wage, often racialized and gendered jobs form the backbone of our economy, but if you’ve worked in any of these fields, you know how hard it can be to make ends meet on these jobs. Three of Dorian Warren’s grandparents were janitors, another job that doesn’t get its due. But they were also proud members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and through their work and their union they learned a vital lesson. If we want to improve working conditions for these undervalued jobs, you can either upgrade the workers, or you can upgrade the jobs—or you can do both. Upgrading and transforming jobs, especially dangerous and poverty-level jobs in growing sectors like care work (https://www.thenation.com/article/society/coronavirus-child-care-nurses-essential/) , is a critically important strategy precisely because of the historically devalued nature of this labor. But it takes power—the collective power of workers joining together with communities—to redesign the system of bad, poverty-level jobs into good jobs. On this week’s show, Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren follow up on last week’s episode (https://www.thenation.com/podcast/society/poverty-inequality-basic-income/) to answer the question: How can we eradicate poverty in America? It's not just about jobs, and the answers are common sense, but radical: To end poverty, we need to meet people’s real needs, like food, or diapers, or childcare, but we also need to disrupt and reform the systems that keep people in poverty, and we need to give people the power to smash through the structures holding them back. For insight on how to get to a poverty-free America, Melissa and Dorian turn to experts leading campaigns and organizations fighting against the system of poverty. Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis (https://www.thenation.com/article/society/we-still-live-in-two-americas-not-one/) , co-director of the Kairos Center and national co-director of the Poor People’s Campaign, joins to discuss how abolishing poverty is a moral imperative—and it makes good policy sense as well, leading to stronger organizing possibilities for all working Americans. Next up, Mary Kay Henry (https://www.seiu.org/mary-kay-henry) , President of SEIU, joins to talk about the role of multi-racial worker power in disrupting the system of poverty. Henry talks to Melissa and Dorian in-depth about the innovative “Fight for $15 and a Union” campaign SEIU helped launched in 2012, and the transformative power of workers setting the terms of their own fights. We then check-in with—and give the final word to—two guests on the ground in North Carolina doing the work to fulfill the immediate needs of those living in poverty and struggling to make ends meet. We talk to Eric Aft, CEO of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina (https://www.secondharvestnwnc.org/about-us) , who talks to us about “feeding the line and shortening the line” for the over 200,000 individuals his organization and its partners serve yearly. And Melissa and Dorian talk with Michelle Old, Executive Director of the North Carolina Diaper Bank, (https://ncdiaperbank.org/about-us) about how having access to diapers and what she calls “dignity items” is a vital necessity for babies, children and families to thrive. System Checklist  During the Covid-19 pandemic millions of Americans have fallen more deeply into poverty. Alleviating poverty in America requires political will, investment, and a strategy to win. During the past two weeks our System Check guests have identified two key issues that keep people poor: lack of cash and lack of power. This week’s System Checklist highlights a political agenda that addresses both. Raise the minimum wage. The last time Congress raised the federal minimum wage was 2007! We know that this meager $7.25 / hour minimum hasn't kept pace with cost of living. (https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/01/21/if-worker-pay-had-kept-pace-productivity-gains-1968-todays-minimum-wage-would-be-24) Right now there is nowhere in the country where a full time, minimum wage worker can afford rent on a two bedroom apartment. We must raise the minimum wage. Join the Fight for 15. (https://fightfor15.org) Universal Health Care. Unexpected medical bills cause 40% of individual bankruptcies. (https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/11/this-is-the-real-reason-most-americans-file-for-bankruptcy.html) Universal health care acknowledges that healthcare is a basic, human right and unlinks health and wealth. With access to affordable, available health care, families can spend their income on housing, food, and other necessities, while avoiding the medical bill caused spiral into poverty. Join the majority of Americans (https://www.kff.org/slideshow/public-opinion-on-single-payer-national-health-plans-and-expanding-access-to-medicare-coverage/) --support universal health care. Universal Childcare. One year of child care costs more than one year of tuition at most states’ four-year public colleges. (https://www.epi.org/child-care-costs-in-the-united-states/) Families need safe, accessible, affordable child care. We can alleviate poverty and change the trajectory of life for millions of American children with a substantial investment in childcare and early childhood education. Read this report from The Economic Policy Institute calling for “An Ambitious National Investment in America’s Children” (https://www.epi.org/publication/its-time-for-an-ambitious-national-investment-in-americas-children/) and sign up to join Childcare Changemakers (https://www.childcarechangemakers.org/) to enlist in the campaign for universal and equitable childcare for all families. Guaranteed Basic Income. Last week we heard from Aisha Nyandoro as she described the ways guaranteed basic income from The Magnolia’s Mother’s Trust (http://springboardto.org/index.php/blog/story/introducing-the-magnolia-mothers-trust) has affected the lives of Black mothers living in poverty in Mississippi. A Stockton, California, guaranteed income program (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-02/stockton-extends-its-universal-basic-income-pilot) has also ignited the interest around the country. If lack of cash is the core feature of poverty, then let’s get cash to the people. Learn about and support the work of the Economic Security Project.  (https://www.economicsecurityproject.org) Ensure Workers’ Right to Organize. Workers must have the right to organize in order to have a seat at the table of power. The power to negotiate wages and conditions of work is tied directly to the ability to organize and unionize. It’s time to update our outdated labor laws to adapt to our 21st century economy. Check out the campaigns of Jobs with Justice (https://www.jwj.org/) and Sign the Pledge (https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-jobs-with-justice-pledge?&source=NAT_W_homepage) to advance workers’ rights to organize. As always, we welcome your additions to our Checklist! Use our Twitter and Facebook pages to add your comments, suggested actions, and organizations to support. System Check is a project of The Nation magazine, hosted by Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren and produced by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Support for System Check comes from Omidyar Network, a social change venture that is reimagining how capitalism should work. Learn more about their efforts to recenter our economy around individuals, community, and societal well-being at Omidyar.com (http://omidyar.com/) . Our executive producer is Frank Reynolds. Our theme music is by Brooklyn-based artist and producer Jachary (https://jachary.bandcamp.com/) . Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: http://thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.

This week, your co-hosts Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren get personal. Melissa’s Grandma Rosa lived and worked in poverty in the Jim Crow south. She was a seamstress who suffered from arthritis, and she made tremendous personal sacrifices to ensure her twin sons, William and Wesley, could go to college (https://books.google.com/books?id=BPpYDAS_oUUC&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=genius+twins+richmond+ebony+1960&source=bl&ots=8Jq0FvY6_4&sig=SHqA3DZb2_YeamIE5vr8PudHjxs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj6wKafuunYAhVJymMKHWZ6Ce4Q6AEIKzAB%23v=onepage&q=genius%2520twins%2520richmond%2520ebony%25201960&f=false#v=onepage&q=genius%2520twins%2520richmond%2520ebony%25201960&f=false) and create a legacy of achievement and activism. (https://www.msnbc.com/melissa-harris-perry/fifty-years-later-my-father-and-uncle-msna154681) Her story is inspiring, but why did she have to make the choice between personal comfort and her children’s future? Dorian’s grandmother also grew up poor on the south side of Chicago. Born in the midst of the 1919 Race Riot (https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/tom-dispatch-1919-taught-us-womens-voting-rights-immigration-racism/) and growing up during the Great Depression, she taught him to “earn a nickel, save 2 cents,” proving that while she certainly needed more money, she did not need the kind of “financial literacy” programs that many think tanks and philanthropies put forward as a solution to poverty. These were resilient, forward-thinking women—but they still struggled with poverty. That leads Melissa and Dorian to ask the guiding question for this episode: “Why are people poor?” Why does the richest country in the world still tolerate millions of our neighbors living in poverty? And why is it so rare to hear—in the media, in the boardrooms of philanthropies, in the halls of power in Washington, D.C.—from the people who are experiencing poverty? To answer all these questions and more, we turn to our experts. Aisha Nyandoro, Chief Executive Officer of Springboard To Opportunities (http://springboardto.org) talked with System Check about the Magnolia Mother’s Trust (http://springboardto.org/index.php/blog/story/introducing-the-magnolia-mothers-trust) . The Trust is the first guaranteed income project in the country to focus explicitly on racial and gender justice. Magnolia Mother's Trust gives $1,000 a month, with no strings attached, to extremely low income black women living in federally subsidized affordable housing. Nyandoro began the program in 2018 as a small pilot with just 20 women in Jackson, Mississippi. Today there are 110 women receiving $1,000 a month for a full year, and the results are pretty amazing. This week’s Final Word is offered by Tiana Gaines-Turner. Despite working as the Housing Stabilization Specialist at Eddie’s House (https://eddieshouse.org) in Philadelphia, this wife and mom still struggles with poverty, housing instability and food insecurity. In her final word this week, Gaines-Turner explains why she and others in her community should be at the policy-making table (https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/week-poverty-expert-testimony-tianna-gaines-turner/) . “Nothing about us, without us” is her lesson for System Check. We hope that after listening to our guests this week, you feel inspired to transform analysis into action. Here is this week’s System Checklist. Fight for 15: Set a monthly reminder on your calendar—let’s say the 15th of every month, or any day that works for you. Each month, on that date, call or email your senators (https://www.senate.gov/senators/How_to_correspond_senators.htm) and your representative in Congress (https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative) . Urge them to increase the federal minimum wage to $15/ hour. Get your family, friends, and social media contacts involved. Let them know, “Every month, on the 15th, we are going to demand 15!” Make sure you follow and support the Fight for 15 (https://fightfor15.org) . Give Locally: Take a small step to make an immediate impact in your local community. If you have the financial resources, set up a recurring monthly contribution to your community foodbank. (https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank) As little as $10 a month can make a big difference. While you are at it, find out if your employer will match your contribution. (https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1799) Many companies will double, or even triple, charitable contributions made by their employees. Act Locally: If you are ready, consider taking an even bigger step in your local community. Find ways to get involved with families who are experiencing poverty, hunger or homelessness. Contact your local department of social services, your United Way, (https://www.unitedway.org) the homeless liaison at your local school, or your religious organization to find out where the need is in your community to identify how your time and talents can contribute to a more fair and just system. Water the Grassroots: If you’re really ready to commit to this work, join a local grassroots community organization fighting to upend the system of poverty on which our country, and especially the 1%, depend. Join or support efforts to unionize. Support collective efforts in your workplace, support friends and family who are organizing, and vote for candidates and policies that give workers more voice and power. Make a personal pledge to “show up” in solidarity for someone else’s fight at least 5 times in 2021--whether a town hall, a digital rally, or contacting your local elected officials, especially for folks who are struggling to make ends meet in the midst of a disastrous health and economic crisis. As always, we welcome your additions to our Checklist! Use our Twitter (https://twitter.com/SystemCheckPod) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SystemCheckPod/) pages to add your comments, suggested actions, and organizations to support. System Check is a project of The Nation magazine, hosted by Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren and produced by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Support for System Check comes from Omidyar Network, a social change venture that is reimagining how capitalism should work. Learn more about their efforts to recenter our economy around individuals, community, and societal well-being at Omidyar.com (http://omidyar.com/) . Our executive producer is Frank Reynolds. DD Guttenplan is Editor of The Nation, Erin O’Mara is President of The Nation. Our theme music is by Brooklyn-based artist and producer Jachary (https://jachary.bandcamp.com/) .  Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: http://thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.

How did we get here? How did we get to the end of a week in which Americans cast 160 million votes, the highest number ever in a general election and the highest voter turnout among eligible citizens in over a hundred years (https://www.newsweek.com/election-2020-voter-turnout-67-percent-highest-120-years-1544552) , a week in which one candidate received almost 4 million votes more than the other one (https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2020-11-05/bidens-popular-vote-lead-over-trump-eclipses-clintons-in-2016) , and we still don’t know who our next president is? Last week on System Check, your hosts Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren dug into all the different ways this country makes it hard for people to cast their ballot. But it’s one thing to vote—on this week’s show, they explain why it’s a whole other thing to get that vote to matter. It’s time for a system check on how your vote gets counted. Any conversation about representation in our democracy has to start at the foundationally unequal institution of the electoral college. Rashad Robinson (https://twitter.com/rashadrobinson) , President of Color of Change and Spokesperson for Color of Change PAC, joins us to discuss how barriers to casting and counting the votes of Black Americans have been “baked in” to our political system. Next up, Kristen Clarke (https://lawyerscommittee.org/staff/kristen-clarke/) , President and Executive Director of the National Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, weighs in on the Republican strategy to nominate and confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Is it a coincidence that Barrett has just been confirmed to the court—one leg of the conservative movement’s “three-legged stool” of countermajoritarian rule (https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2020/10/21/the-gonzo-constitutionalism-of-the-american-right/) —just in time to strike down the will of the majority of voters? Our history is important, and can the dark periods in our past can help guide us through our struggles today. Professor Blair Kelley (https://www.profblmkelley.com/) of North Carolina State University offers both a deeply historical and personal perspective on voter suppression, grounded in her family’s own experiences during slavery, reconstruction, and in the Jim Crow South. Just as racism helps explain the particular ways in which our institutions were formed, it also provides a cudgel for those in power, and those who feel threatened by equality, today. The Nation’s own Sports Editor, Dave Zirin (https://www.thenation.com/authors/dave-zirin/) , joined us on our Election Night live coverage and reminds us of a single key insight to help make sense of the election results. And Cristina Beltran (https://www.thetroublewithunity.com/the-trouble-with-unity/) of NYU, author of Cruelty as Citizenship: How Migrant Suffering Sustains White Democracy (https://manifold.umn.edu/projects/cruelty-as-citizenship) , joined us to help us think about how “white domination” is in fact, a civic experience for non-white voters hoping to cast a vote and have it count. But it wouldn’t be a System Check if we didn’t talk about the ways we can get out of our current mess. The Nation’s Strikes Correspondent, Jane McAlevey (https://www.thenation.com/authors/jane-mcalevey/) , talked to us about the intersection of a movement moment with a presidential election, and the necessity of non-violent, direct action. And two Members of Congress join us to talk about what is to be done once the votes are counted: Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (https://www.thenation.com/authors/pramila-jayapal/) instructs us on a path forward that centers intersectionality, and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Karen Bass (https://bass.house.gov/about/biography) reminds us of the necessity of outside pressure on all elected officials (Bass, like so many progressive champions (https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/politics/a34572845/election-2020-the-squad-reelected/) , won her reelection bid this week (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-california-house-district-37.html) ). Finally, Dreamer Astrid Silva (https://twitter.com/Astrid_NV?s=20) of Dream Big Nevada has the last word this week as she talks to us about what this election means for millions like her who are unable to vote, whose fates hinge on the final vote count, but who remain hopeful, no matter the outcome. Looking to turn all this analysis into action? We give listeners three action items this week: Demand Twitter and Facebook suspend Trump’s accounts for spreading lies and misinformation about the election (https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/facebooktwitter_suspendtrump/?t=3&ak_proof=1&akid=47766.3618562.D_ggQO) . Support the runoffs and help us do the work to ensure every vote is counted. (https://www.mobilize.us/colorofchangepac/event/362488/?utm_source=volcall1104) Listen to our 5-hour Election Night Livestream (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R94wvTRZze4) for cogent, real-time analysis with an array of insightful voices, from scholars to grassroots organizers on the ground. System Check is a project of The Nation magazine, hosted by Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren and produced by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Support for System Check comes from Omidyar Network, a social change venture that is reimagining how capitalism should work. Learn more about their efforts to recenter our economy around individuals, community, and societal well-being at Omidyar.com (https://omidyar.com/) . Our executive producer is Frank Reynolds. DD Guttenplan is Editor of The Nation, Erin O’Mara is President of The Nation. Our theme music is by Brooklyn-based artist and producer Jachary (https://jachary.bandcamp.com/) . 

In anticipation of Always Sunny Season 2 the boys take a look at the 1988 comedy blockbuster TWINS starring Danny Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Topics include the election, anxiety, mushrooms, Brian Eno and we talk about the movie a little too. Please note, there were no technical difficulties and everything went really smoothly making this episode (not)

Welcome to System Check. On this podcast, we’re going to break down the big, unwieldy, seemingly immovable systems that structure our politics and our lives. In the ten episodes in this season, we will delve into the history of these systems, and along with our guests, we will seek ways to move beyond or redesign these systems. In our first episode, your hosts Dorian Warren and Melissa Harris-Perry are focusing on the system at the top of everyone’s minds: Voting. More than 75 million Americans have already cast a ballot, (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/28/us/elections/75-million-americans-have-already-voted.html) but election watchers are warning that long lines, false information, and purposeful barriers may deter many Americans from exercising their right to vote. America’s convoluted voting system is deeply and purposely unfair to many Americans, especially African Americans, Spanish-speakers, caregivers, and those with the least education and the fewest financial resources. It’s time for a system check. Sherrilyn Ifill, (https://www.naacpldf.org/about-us/staff/sherrilyn-ifill/) President and Director Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (https://www.naacpldf.org/) joins us to consider the long history of voter suppression in the United States and to outline how state laws, federal court decisions, and digital misinformation continue to depress voter turnout. After listening to this interview, we know you will want to learn more. Check out Sherrilyn Ifill, Civil Rights Superhero (https://www.glamour.com/story/sherrilyn-ifill-women-of-the-year-2020) by Melissa Harris-Perry (Glamour, October 13, 2020); Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t know his civil rights history (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/10/17/mark-zuckerberg-doesnt-know-his-civil-rights-history/) by Sherrilyn Ifill (Washington Post, October 17, 2019) and the testimony of Sherrilyn Ifill, before the United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary Hearing on H.R. 1, the “For the People Act of 2019 (https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU00/20190129/108824/HHRG-116-JU00-Wstate-IfillS-20190129.pdf) (January 29, 2019). Also in this episode, co-host Melissa Harris-Perry delivers the weekly “System Analysis” with a surprising take on the rationality of voting. She concludes by drawing on the wisdom of Professor Lani Guinier. (https://www.fairvote.org/lani_guinier_champion_of_democracy) legal scholar and a champion of voting rights and racial justice. Twenty years ago, as the 2000 election between Vice President Al Gore and Governor George W. Bush descended into a chad-hanging fiasco, Lani Guinier wrote Making Every Vote Count (https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/making-every-vote-count/) for The Nation. Her analysis remains relevant today. In the second half of the episode, we talk to Alicia Garza (https://aliciagarza.com/) , co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter (https://blacklivesmatter.com/herstory/) , founder of the Black Futures Lab (https://blackfutureslab.org/) , co-founder of Super Majority (https://supermajority.com/) , host of her own podcast, Lady Don’t Take No (https://lady-dont-take-no.simplecast.com/) , and author of the new book, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/565184/the-purpose-of-power-by-alicia-garza/) . Alicia Garza is insightful, impactful, and vulnerable in this interview you will not want to miss! Transforming analysis into action, we give listeners three action items this week: Read Alicia Garza’s The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/565184/the-purpose-of-power-by-alicia-garza/) . If you haven’t already voted—VOTE! Not sure if you’re registered? You can check here (https://www.vote.org/) .  If you or anyone you know encounters difficulties while trying to vote, call Election Protection: 1-866-OUR VOTE (https://866ourvote.org/) Be sure to keep listening until the end of the episode, because organizer Linda Sutton of Democracy North Carolina (https://democracync.org/) has an inspiring final word this week. System Check is a project of The Nation (https://www.thenation.com/) , hosted by Melissa Harris-Perry and Dorian Warren and produced by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Our executive producer is Frank Reynolds. DD Guttenplan is Editor of The Nation, Erin O’Mara is President of The Nation. Our theme music is by Brooklyn-based artist and producer Jachary (https://jachary.bandcamp.com/) . Special thanks this week to our guests Sherrilyn Ifill and Alicia Garza. Support for System Check comes from Omidyar Network, a social change venture that is reimagining how capitalism should work. Learn more about their efforts to recenter our economy around individuals, community, and societal well-being at Omidyar.com (https://omidyar.com/) .

Paula Glover (CEO of American Association of Blacks in Energy) is back for another awesome conversation with her friend of over 25 years, Frank Reynolds, President of UIL Holdings which oversees multiple nation and state wide power infrastructure. They chat Frank's time in the US National Guard, the many twists and turns his career took, how to balance patience with aggression, and again touch on the value of mentorship (common Always Bet On Black theme). If you laugh half as many times as they did, it was a successful episode! For all things AABE, please visit us at www.aabe.org. Follow us on all social platforms @AABE. Show Resources: Frank Reynolds: Frank Reynolds began his utility career in operations and administration at Connecticut Natural Gas and Southern Connecticut Gas, where he served as the assistant to the CEO during the merger of those companies with Energy East. His subsequent assignments included serving as Vice President of Asset Management and Planning for Avangrid Networks, and prior to that as Vice President of General Services for Iberdrola USA. A Connecticut native, Reynolds holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of New Haven and a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from Central Connecticut State University. He has completed executive course work at Iberdrola’s School of Management, the Ross School of Business and at Wharton. In addition to his service with the Army National Guard, from which he retired in 2004 after 20 years, Reynolds previously served in both board and advisory capacities with the Urban League of Rochester, N.Y., Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Rochester and on the Advisory Board of Roberts Wesleyan College, also in Rochester. He is currently on the Advisory Board at the University of New Haven.

Best Old Time Radio Podcast with Bob Bro Monday, October 26, 2020 - OTR Comedies The Jack Benny Show - "At the Academy Awards" Jack takes Mary to the Academy Awards ceremony and the evening is fraught with potential problems. For instance, Jack gives an interview in the lobby of the Pantages Theater and the interview ends turns into a major fiasco. Funny bit with Sheldon Leonard as the tipster from the race track. Featuring: Jack Benny, Mary Livingston, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Don Wilson, Frank Reynolds, Sheldon Leonard Original Air Date: March 23, 1952 on CBS

This week on the #SupaDupaPodcast we talk about joining the 40 club with Entrepreneur Iron Man Athlete and part owner of the RobReynolds Collection , Frank Reynolds. Hear us talk about being in our prime and how youth is wasted on the young.   #listen #subscribeandshare  #SupaDupaPodcast #SDP #IronMan #40isthenew20 #4040Club #age #wisdom #Birthday #podcast #culture #entertainment #HP53Productions #SouthSideDNA 

Jared and Anthony go through 2 different lists today on Oddchat. 10 worst things Frank Reynolds of Always Sunny has done and the Top 5 reasons Aliens and T2 are the best sequels. They give their unfiltered opinions and some added insight. Stay Odd oddcastmedia@gmail.com, @OddcastN, oddcastnetwork.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/WAOddcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/WAOddcast/support

I talk about my trip to the Pictured Rocks (they're awesome), first ever email from a listener, drag the company "Off" over coals, then end it with a podcast announcement as well as a question posed to the listeners. Let's talk about Frank Reynolds people. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode we are discussing It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 2, Episode 1: Charlie Gets Crippled. The first episode where Frank Reynolds shows up. Check us out on Twitter - https://twitter.com/CoreyKevin1 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/corey-kevin/support

The Snyder cut is being released and the Lads aren’t feeling too great about it – find out why! A whole host of television characters are pitted against one another in some crazy fights including the Janitor v Dwight Schrute – Chandler v Tom Haverford – Frank Reynolds v Ron Swanson! Rob has his true sitcom revealed and Ross uses a metaphor involving a conservatory and bad narrative choices! Come for the tv character fights, stay for the banter, craic and puns! It’s I Understood That Reference – Episode 31! Do the quiz to determine which sitcom you are here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasminnahar/everyone-has-a-sitcom-that-matches-their-personali Check out our full season 1 and our website below! https://linktr.ee/Capunderstands https://www.podchaser.com/IUnderstoodThatReference https://capunderstands.com/ Ad from - https://twitter.com/themaindamie 0:00 – 4:20 – Intro and beers 4:20 – 21:08 – Zack Snyder and the Justice League 21:08 - 28:22 – Rob – this is your life – the sitcom quiz 28:22 – 28:47 – Ad: The Main Damie 28:47 – 33:15 – I could do this all day! Tv fights – Chandler v Tom Haverford! 33:15 – 38:05 – Tv fights! Ron Swanson v Frank Reynolds! 38:05 – 42:50 – Tv fights! The Janitor from Scrubs vs Dwight Schrute! 42:50 – 48:10 - Tv fights! Rodney v Gareth! 48:10 – End - Hey Ross, look at these – Blood Machines

"Listen you little wiseacre. I'm smart; you're dumb. I'm big; you're little. I'm right; you're wrong. And there's nothing you can do about it." - Parents to their kids during the 2020 quarantine. Actually, that's a Danny DeVito rant from "Matilda," a charming movie adaptation of the Roald Dahl children's book. Most of the adults in this movie are just awful to poor little Matilda, an adorable six-year-old played by the quintessential adorable 90s kid, Mara Wilson ("Mrs. Doubtfire," the "Miracle on 34th Street" remake). The adults should probably stop messing with her though, because Matilda has Jean Gray-level telekinesis. She can move classroom objects with her mind! Oooooh, ahhh! That's how it always starts. But then later there's running and.. and.. screaming... Danny DeVito directed the movie and also plays Matilda's absentee dad, who is only half as deplorable as Frank Reynolds (still bad), though he and mom Rhea Pearlman are saints compared to Principal Trunchbull (Pam Ferris). Trunchbull throws mouthy kids into a pokey torture chamber and throws little girls across campus by the pigtails. It'd all be deeply disturbing if not for that distinct Dahl whimsy (and some cartoonish stylistic choices). Old Millennials Remember Matilda podcast Angela and Tyler discuss their history with "Matilda" and all the reasons why the film has endured over the years. What makes the story so appealing to kids? Are they aware of Miss Honey's agonizingly tragic backstory? And can impatient and exasperated parents learn a few lessons about how not to treat young children? Or are we all, at some level, as awful as the Wormwood parents? Hey, in our defense, we think we'd at least be able to tell the difference between cops and boat salesmen. Also, remember that kid who dances with Drew Barrymore in "The Wedding Singer?" He gets to eat a giant cake in this movie. That kid rules. Also discussed in this episode The Lovebirds (2020) The Last Dance documentary series (2020) Riverdale TV series  

We watched the classic movie, Taxi Driver, and discuss a myriad of things including how porno theaters are said to "bring the community together" by Frank Reynolds, how we found yet another movie that references Errol Flynn (still clueless on who he is by the way), whether or not Tim should pick up a new hobby of decoupaging celebrity bath tub pieces together. We also fell in love with all the old logos (thanks product placement!) and price points from the past. And don't forget, you gotta watch out for senators who can do a 720 degree spin and are running for president in this kazoogling 10th episode! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Kyle Donnell and Justin Krawczyk of the band Frank Reynolds made some time for a sweet conversation! www.frankreynoldsband.com This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

Josh escapes to the Mcdonalds, Isaac details freezer adventures, and Mariah catches a parade. Angelique, our Frank Reynolds, sits this one out. In this special episode of SIGF, we share a joint and talk about workplace procrastination, 9/11, and our favorite songs to smoke to. Hit Us Up! Email: soigotfiredpodcast@gmail.com Facebook: @soigotfired IG: @soigotfired Twitter: @_soigotfired Phone: (424) 256-6189 Gang: @marriahbob @joshyxboi @1k3muzik @__angelfacee Cover art illustration by Rodrigo Carneiro Twitter & IG: @drigoooooo Original music by @1k3muzik

California Congressman Ro Khanna took on a Democratic incumbent in a 2016 primary because he said Democrats needed to fight harder for economic and social and racial justice, for peace and a new approach to foreign policy, for bold responses to the climate crisis and for a new economy that harnessed technological progress for human needs. It was a bold agenda, and voters embraced it, sending Khanna to Congress with a mandate to shake things up. He has done so with a passion. Aligning with veteran members such as California Congresswoman Barbara Lee, he brought fresh energy to the fight to thwart militarism and advance diplomatic solutions to global conflicts. With Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, he led a successful move to get the Congress to signal its opposition to US support for Saudi Arabia’s assault on Yemen. Khanna also joined Sanders in high-profile efforts to get Amazon, Walmart and other corporations to pay living wages. Khanna has challenged monopolies, urged tech corporations to invest in rural America and authored a groundbreaking Internet Bill of Rights. He frequently takes on President Trump, but vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus also objects when Democrats compromise on principles. We spoke to him on Next Left about many of these fights, and about the influence that his Indian grandfather’s anti-colonial activism had on his politics. SHOW NOTES Progressives Are Starting to Define a New Realism for Our National-Security Strategy (https://www.thenation.com/article/progressives-new-realism-for-our-national-security-strategy/) ,  The Nation, Katrina vanden Heuvel Ro Khanna’s family narrative rivals that of Mike Honda (https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/06/18/ro-khannas-family-narrative-rivals-that-of-mike-honda/) ,  Mercury News, Scott Herhold From Council Rock to Congress: Philly-born Ro Khanna is saving U.S. foreign policy from itself (https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/ro-khanna-congressman-bucks-county-philadelphia-end-war-yemen-20190502.html) ,  Philadelphia Inquirer,  Will Bunch Ryan’s Republicans Are Abdicating Their Moral and Constitutional Duty on Yemen: Republicans just blocked Ro Khanna’s proposal to end all US military aid to the Saudi-led coalition that is attacking Yemen (https://www.thenation.com/article/paul-ryan-ro-khanna-yemen-saudi-arabia-republicans/) , The Nation, John Nichols In Search of a Green New Foreign Policy (https://www.thenation.com/article/war-climate-military-spending-2020/) , The Nation, Robert L. Borosage Churchill’s policies contributed to 1943 Bengal famine – study (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/29/winston-churchill-policies-contributed-to-1943-bengal-famine-study) , The Guardian, Michael Safi Second Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln (https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/lincoln2.asp) “Masters of War (http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/masters-war-mono/) ,” Bob Dylan This episode of Next Left was produced and edited by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Our executive producers are Frank Reynolds, Erin O’Mara, and Katrina vanden Heuvel. Our theme song is “Deli Run,” by Ava Luna (https://avalunagroup.com/) .

This week’s podcast takes us to Virginia, where we talk to Lee Carter, Marine Corps veteran, Democratic Socialist, Lyft driver, and member of the Virginia House of Delegates. When Carter was elected in 2017, as part of a Democratic wave that transformed the legislature and Virginia politics, he celebrated by leading his supporters in a rousing rendition of the labor anthem “Solidarity Forever.” That was just one of many signals that Carter planned to shake things up in Richmond. And so he has!  We talk with this rabble-rousing legislator about tangling with the Democratic establishment and reactionary Republicans, about his fight to upend Virginia’s anti-union “Right-to-Work” law and power up organized labor in the south, about how he has made himself one of the most transparent political figures in the country, and about the genius of  Billy Bragg’s version of "The Internationale." “So comrades, come rally... for this is the time and place!” SHOW NOTES Since Trump’s Victory, Democratic Socialists of America Has Become a Budding Political Force (https://www.thenation.com/article/in-the-year-since-trumps-victory-democratic-socialists-of-america-has-become-a-budding-political-force/) , The Nation, Anna Heyward The 7,282-Seat Strategy (https://www.thenation.com/article/the-7383-seat-strategy/) , The Nation, Joan Walsh Lee Carter’s Campaign for Labor Rights in Virginia Is Important for All Working Americans (https://www.thenation.com/article/lee-carter-right-to-work-virginia/) , The Nation, John Nichols The Racist Roots of Right to Work (https://www.afscme.org/now/the-racist-roots-of-right-to-work) , AFSCME Now A Virginia politician’s novel approach to personal scandal: Tell all before opponents do (https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/a-politicians-novel-approach-to-personal-scandal-tell-all-before-opponents-do/2018/10/19/c8ed7ea8-cd65-11e8-a3e6-44daa3d35ede_story.html?utm_term=.757ebb69d9ad) , Washington Post, Paul Schwartzman GOP delegate Miller’s mailer compares Democratic opponent to Stalin, communists (https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/gop-delegate-miller-s-mailer-compares-democratic-opponent-to-stalin/article_cb0773a0-9b96-51de-9a2d-42a9b479deba.html) , Richmond Times-Dispatch, Patrick Wilson Carter Singing Solidarity Forever on His Election Night (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dupH0onYBKA) , from YouTube The Internationale (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTVOz-RnUAw) , Billy Bragg This episode of Next Left was produced and edited by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Our executive producers are Frank Reynolds, Erin O’Mara, and Katrina vanden Heuvel. Big thank you this week to Nation engagement editor Annie Shields. Recording help this week from Angelo Bautista and Tom Bernath. Our theme song is “Deli Run” by Ava Luna (https://avalunagroup.com/) . 

This week we're in Chicago, city of big dreams and big politics. Historically, Chicago was a machine town. Democratic bosses prevented reformers and radicals from getting anywhere near power, but that's changing fast. This year, Chicago elected a city council that is ready to push the boundaries of status quo politics, how far? 10% of the new council members are Democratic Socialists. We'll talk today with one of them, Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, who just beat an incumbent city council member whose family has held the same seat for the better part of 50 years. We talked to her just 45 minutes after the incumbent conceded. SHOW NOTES: How a Group of Unapologetic Progressives Won Big in Chicago’s Election (https://www.thenation.com/article/chicago-elections-organizing-peoples-lobby/) The Nation, Will Tanzman, April 5, 2019 Chicago’s Political Revolution (http://inthesetimes.com/features/chicago_mayor_aldermanic_elections_political_revolution_social_movements.html) In These Times Miles Kampf-Lassin, February 12, 2019 The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on Disaster Capitalists (https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1235-the-battle-for-paradise) by Naomi Klein, 2018 Rossana's favorite political songs:  We the People (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO2Su3erRIA) by A Tribe Called Quest Police State (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c_UdWo4Zek) by Dead Prez This episode of Next Left was produced and edited by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Our executive producers are Frank Reynolds, Erin O’Mara, and Katrina vanden Heuvel. Recording help this week from Phoebe Petrovic and Jackson Roach. Our theme song is "Deli Run" by Ava Luna (https://avalunagroup.com/) .

This Week, The Dummies Make it Snow with Trampoline Tramps, PornHub Politicians, and Bubblicious Dong Docking. Finally a Politician Who Takes Public Outreach Seriously https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/14/europe/danish-politician-pornhub-ad-intl/index.html The Aladdin Porn Parody that has Walt Disney Masturbating in his Grave https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2019/05/aladdin-adult-film-parody Marvel Has Found Itself a New Hero…and his name is Frank Reynolds https://people.com/movies/thousands-sign-petition-danny-devito-as-wolverine/

From the grass roots to the ballot box, we are witnessing an explosion of progressive political energy. New candidates are running for offices high and low—and they’re winning. In Next Left, a new podcast from The Nation hosted by National Affairs correspondent John Nichols, these insurgent politicians let us into their lives, tell us their stories, and explain how they plan to change our country for the better. We want to understand how the people who are forging the next left got turned on to politics, and what they plan to do now that they have been entrusted by voters to upend the status quo. Our first guest is Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. We spoke in her Capitol Hill office, where visitors are greeted by an image of Shirley Chisholm, who 50 years ago was the first African-American woman elected to Congress. Omar is, herself, a woman of many firsts—the first Somali-American and the first naturalized citizen to serve in Congress, and one of the first two Muslim women to serve in the House. She is also the first member of Congress to wear a hijab. We are delighted that she is the first guest on Next Left. SHOW NOTES [Reps. Omar and Schakowsky: We must confront threat of white nationalism—together](https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/14/opinions/stop-white-nationalism-together-omar-schakowsky/index.html): CNN Opinion, May 14, 2019 [Black History Month Playlist: Ilhan Omar talks Prince, music that inspires her](https://blog.thecurrent.org/2019/01/black-history-month-spotlight-ilhan-omar-talks-prince-and-the-music-that-inspires-her/): Marla Khan-Schwartz, The Current, January 31, 2019 [](https://www.thenation.com/article/liz-cheney-rashida-tlaib-ilhan-omar/) [Why Liz Cheney Is So Determined to Marginalize Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar: John Nichols, The Nation, May 14, 2019](https://www.thenation.com/article/liz-cheney-rashida-tlaib-ilhan-omar/) [Time for Ilhan](https://www.timeforilhanfilm.com/) 2018 Documentary by Norah Shapiro This week’s sponsor: [A Crisis Wasted, by Reed Hunt](https://acrisiswasted.com/) Theme song: “Deli Run,” by [Ava Luna](https://avalunagroup.com/) This episode of Next Left was produced and edited by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Our executive producers are Frank Reynolds, Erin O’Mara, and Katrina vanden Heuvel.

Will Scrooge McDuck and Mr. Krabs (Spongebob) be able to make a merger... of the hearts? Will Mushu (of Mulan) and Puff the Magic Dragon make fiery love? Or will their frolicking end in nothing but a puff of smoke? PLUS: will Zach or Greg be able to find love for Always Sunny in Philadelphia's FRANK REYNOLDS? Can such a task be done? Let's find out on this week's SHIPS IN THE NIGHT! All with our guest, comedian and filmmaker Jessica Rose Felix!

Topics: Muhammad Ali, Rick James, Max Robinson (TV). (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)   1978   1.    Snap Shots   2.    General News   3.    Jimmy Carter is President   4.    February   5.    The first computer bulletin board system (CBBS) is created in Chicago.  Bulletin board systems were in many ways a precursor to the modern form of the World Wide Web, social networks, and other aspects of the Internet.   6.    Serial killer Ted Bundy is captured in Florida and The Hillside Strangler of Los Angeles, (serial killing cousins) claims a 10th and final victim.   7.    April   8.    Women's Army Corps (WAC) abolished (1943-1978); women integrated into regular Army.   9.    September   10.    The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin . The Accords led directly to the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty a year later. Due to the agreement, Sadat and Begin received the shared 1978 Nobel Peace Prize. In turn, these events led to Sadat's assassination by members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad in 1981.   11.    November   12.    Mass murder/suicide of 909 Americans in Jonestown, Guyana under the direction of Jim Jones.   13.    December   14.    Chicago serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who is subsequently convicted of the murder of 33 young men, is arrested.   15.    Open Comments:   16.    Economic Snapshots   17.    Min. wage = $2.65hr (+.35) / $106wk / $5,512 yrly) - 2018 = $21,228yrly   18.    Avg. Income per year - $16,975   19.    Avg. Cost of new house - 54,749   20.    Avg. Rent - $260   21.    Avg. Cost new car - $5,405   22.    Postage Stop - $0.15   23.    Unemployment 6.4% vs Black unemployment 14.5%   24.    Open Comments:   25.    Black Snapshots   26.    February   27.    Harriet Tubman is the first African American Woman to be honored on a U.S. postage stamp.   28.    Muhammad Ali loses title to Leon Spinks    29.    May   30.    Ain't Misbehavin' (musical) hits Broadway. Won 1978 Tony Award for Best Musical: Breakout Stars was Nell Carter (sitcom Gimme a Break!) and Irene Cara (Flash Dance: What a Feeling) and Charlayne Woodard (Janice on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air)   31.    June   32.    The SCOTUS bars quota systems in college admissions but affirms the constitutionality of programs which give advantages to minorities.   33.    July   34.    ABC World News Tonight, employing a unique three-anchor setup:  Frank Reynolds serving as lead anchor from Washington, Peter Jennings with international news from London, and Max Robinson presenting national news from Chicago. Robinson is noted as the first African-American broadcast network news anchor in the United States   35.    September   36.    Ali defeats Spinks and regained the WBA heavyweight title, becoming the first man to win the World Heavyweight Championship three times.   37.    Misc.:   38.    Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collections: Cotton Candy and Woman   39.    Open Comments:   40.    Music Snapshots   41.    Record of the Year: Billy Joel for "Just the Way You Are"   42.    Album of the Year: Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack, Various Artist   43.    Song of the Year: Billy Joel for "Just the Way You Are"   44.    Best New Artist: A Taste of Honey   45.    Top Billboard Singles   1.    Shadow Dancing", Andy Gibb 2.    "Night Fever", Bee Gees 3.    "You Light Up My Life", Debby Boone   46.    Open Comments:   47.    Movie Snapshots: Highest-grossing films   1.    Grease 2.    Superman 3.    National Lampoon's Animal House   48.    Open Comments:   49.    TV Snapshots   1.    Laverne & Shirley 2.    Three's Company 3.    Mork & Mindy   50.    Debuts   51.    September - WKRP in Cincinnati (Featuring Tim Reid as Venus Flytrap): BEST THEME SONG EVER!!!   52.    November - Diff'rent Strokes: The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two Black boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman and widower named Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) and his daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato), for whom their deceased mother previously worked.   53.    Open Comments:   54.    Social Scene: Ali's Last Dance (Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks I and II)   55.    First Fight (February): THE ONLY TIME ALI LOST HIS TITLE IN THE RING   56.    Tom Gray (Ringtv.com) - "At 36 years of age, the great Muhammad Ali was on the physical descent. The warning signs were clearly visible in prior defenses of his heavyweight championship. Jimmy Young and Ken Norton could easily have been given decisions against Ali in 1976. A European-level fighter like Alfredo Evangelista could last the distance in May 1977. And power-puncher Earnie Shavers, despite falling short on points, had inflicted 10 fights worth of damage on “The Greatest” over 15 brain-shuddering rounds that September. Ali, who should have been enjoying retirement, needed a very easy fight – enter Leon Spinks. The St. Louis product was a decorated amateur star. He had captured bronze at the World Championships in 1974, silver at the Pan-Am Games in 1975 and gold, as a light heavyweight, at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Great stats, but, alarmingly, the challenger was bringing a (6-0-1, 5 knockouts) professional record into a heavyweight championship fight. The 24-year-old Spinks would be the most inexperienced professional to vie for the title (in 21yrs, since "1957").   57.    Spinks won a split decision   58.    The matchup would win Fight of the Year, Round of the Year (for rnd 15), and Upset of the Year awards.   59.    Aftermath: Spinks signed for a rematch with Ali at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans and was stripped of his title for refusing to fight no. 1 contender Ken Norton instead.   60.    The Rematch   61.    70,000 people attended the bout and paid a total of $6 million admission, making it the largest live gate in boxing history at that time.   62.    Ali beat Spinks in a unanimous decision.   63.    When Ali reclaimed the title, he made history by becoming the first man to win the heavyweight championship three times.   64.    After the fight, Ali retired from boxing in 1979 - for the first time.   65.    Subsequently, Ali tried 2 more comebacks: In 1980, against former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes and in 1981 against Trevor Berbick    66.    Both were loses, 1978 rematch the last win of his boxing career.   67.    Legacy   68.    Pro Record: 61 fights / 56 wins / 5 losses [By the end of his career Ali had absorbed ~200,000 hits]   69.    Time magazine named Ali one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century / Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated / Named Sports Personality of the Century in a BBC poll / The Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bill Clinton / The Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush / Sports Illustrated renamed its Sportsman Legacy Award to the Sports Illustrated's Muhammad Ali Legacy Award.  (honors former "sports figures who embody the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership and philanthropy as vehicles for changing the world.") / Ring Magazine, named him number 1 greatest heavyweights from all eras / The Associated Press, No. 1 heavyweight of the 20th century / ESPN, the second greatest pound for pound fighter in boxing history (#1 Sugar Ray Robinson) and the second greatest heavyweights of all time, behind Joe Louis    70.    Personally: Ali and James Brown are the only two men I think my father ever admired.   71.    Open Comments:   72.    Music Scene   73.    Billboard Year-End Top 40 Black singles of 1978   74.    #9 - "Boogie Oogie Oogie", A Taste of Honey   75.    #10 - "Three Times a Lady", Commodores   76.    #20 - "Dance, Dance, Dance", Chic   77.    #31 - "Jack And Jill", Raydio   78.    #34 - "Last Dance", Donna Summer   79.    #38 - "The Closer I Get to You", Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway   80.    Number-One R&B singles of 1978   81.    Jan - "Ffun", Con Funk Shun   82.    Jan - "Our Love", Natalie Cole   83.    Feb - "Theme Song from 'Which Way Is Up'", Stargard   84.    Feb - "Too Hot ta Trot", The Commodores   85.    Feb - "It's You That I Need", Enchantment   86.    Mar - "Flash Light”, Parliament   87.    Mar - "Bootzilla", Bootsy's Rubber Band   88.    Apr - "The Closer I Get to You", Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway   89.    Apr - "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late", Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams   90.    May - Take Me to the Next Phase (Part 1)", The Isley Brothers   91.    May - "Use ta Be My Girl", The O'Jays   92.    Jul - "Stuff Like That", Quincy Jones   93.    Jul - "Close the Door", Teddy Pendergrass   94.    Jul - "You and I", Rick James   95.    Aug - "Boogie Oogie Oogie", A Taste Of Honey   96.    Aug - "Three Times a Lady", The Commodores   97.    Aug - "Get Off", Foxy   98.    Sep - "Holding On (When Love Is Gone)", L.T.D.   99.    Sep - "Got to Get You into My Life", Earth, Wind & Fire   100.    Sep - "One Nation Under a Groove (Part 1)", Funkadelic   101.    Nov - "I'm Every Woman", Chaka Khan   102.    Dec - "Le Freak", Chic   103.    Vote:   104.    Jan - All 'N All, Earth, Wind and Fire   105.    Feb - Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack, Bee Gees   106.    Mar - Bootsy? Player of the Year, Bootsy's Rubber Band   107.    Apr - Street Player, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan   108.    Apr - Weekend in L.A., George Benson   109.    May - Showdown, The Isley Brothers   110.    Jun - So Full Of Love, The O'Jays   111.    Jun - Natural High, The Commodores   112.    Aug - Life Is a Song Worth Singing, Teddy Pendergrass   113.    Sep - Blam!, The Brothers Johnson   114.    Oct - Is It Still Good to Ya, Ashford & Simpson   115.    Oct - One Nation Under a Groove, Funkadelic   116.    Nov - The Man, Barry White   117.    Dec - C'est Chic, Chic   118.    Vote:   119.    Key Artist   120.    Who: James Ambrose Johnson Jr., a.k.a. Rick James The Superfreak (@ 30 yrs old): singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, hitmaker, performer, producer, impresario, and pioneer in the fusion of funk groove and rock.  A flamboyant, provocative, charismatic, brilliant, volatile, and outrageous bona fide superstar.    121.    Why is he being featured: Debut solo album, Come Get It!, with hit singles "You and I" & "Mary Jane"   122.    Short Story:  Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, he was one of eight children. His father was abusive and abandoned the family when James was eight. His mother was a former dancer who worked as a housekeeper, but also was a numbers runner. Went to Catholic school and was an altar boy, he also committed petty theft crimes, and spent some time in juvenile detention centers. He also began doing drugs. While James was always musically inclined, it was not until he performed in a talent show in high school that he seriously considered a career in music. He formed a group called the Duprees. At the same time, he joined the Naval Reserve to avoid the draft. As he and his group gained popularity he began to skip out on his naval duties. James was soon drafted, but he fled to Canada.  His uncle was Melvin Franklin of the Temptations. Franklin helped his nephew get a recording contract with Motown Records. This led to James striking a deal with the government and serving some time in prison for draft evasion. After his release, he began to record his first album, which included the hits "You & I," and his ode to marijuana, "Mary Jane." The album sold two million copies.   123.    James's second album, Bustin' Out of L Seven(1979), followed the previous album's success, eventually selling a million copies.   124.    His third album, Fire It Up (1979) and the supporting tour led to James developing a bitter rivalry with one of his opening acts, Prince. Rick accused Prince of ripping off his act.   125.    His fifth album, Street Songs (1981), also proved to be a crossover success. With the Temptations on background vocals, James released "Super Freak."    126.    With the success of "Super Freak," James began to produce for other artists. He formed an all-girl band named the Mary Jane Girls. He also performed duets with R&B singer Teena Marie and Smokey Robinson. He also produced comedian Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time," which was a hit in the mid-1980s.   127.    James' on-stage persona was one of wild debauchery. Dressed in sequins, tight leather, high-heeled boots, and cornrows or a jheri curl, James oozed sex on stage. Offstage, he smoked marijuana and snorted cocaine. According to the Washington Post, he told the Detroit News in 2004, "The biggest mistake I made is that I tried to become my alter ego. I wanted to be Rick James, wild man, party machine, lady slayer, and the cocaine told me I could. I forgot that I was James Johnson, a nerdy kid who grew up reading Dante's Inferno on Saturday nights."   128.    James' spiral out of control came to a head when he was charged with assault in 1991. He was convicted in 1993 and served three years. He vowed to get clean and live a more sedate life. Upon his release, he married and began having serious health problems.  James was found dead on August 6, 2004; he was 56.  His death was ruled accidental, but nine drugs were found in his system. However, the official cause of death was a heart attack.   129.    Open Comments:   130.    Movie Scene   131.    The Wiz: A musical adventure fantasy film based upon characters from “The Wizard of OZ” featuring an all-black cast, the film was loosely adapted from the 1974 Broadway musical of the same name. It follows the adventures of Dorothy, a shy, twenty-four-year-old Harlem schoolteacher who finds herself magically transported to the urban fantasy Land of Oz, which resembles a dream version of New York City. Befriended by a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a Cowardly Lion, she travels through the city to seek an audience with the mysterious Wiz, who they say is the only one powerful enough to send her home.   132.    Various reviews: "...Diana Ross, too old to play Dorothy." and ...portrayal of Dorothy was "cold, neurotic and oddly unattractive" / "...cockamamy screenplay" / “the picture finished off Diana Ross's screen career" / "The Wiz was too scary for children, and too silly for adults." / Ray Bolger, who played the Scarecrow in the 1939 The Wizard of Oz film, did not think highly of The Wiz, stating "The Wiz is overblown and will never have the universal appeal that the classic MGM musical has obtained."   133.    Sean Munger - seanmunger.com "...But, despite the fact that it was a bad movie–and it clearly is–there’s a lot of very interesting stuff about The Wiz lurking under the surface. You can make an argument that its failure ended not one but two eras in cinema: the era of the glitzy big-budget musical, and that of what is known, not entirely politically correctly (these days), as the “Blacksploitation” boom. The Wiz also began a professional association between two of its participants that had an effect on popular culture of almost inestimable magnitude: the musical pairing of Michael Jackson and songwriter/producer Quincy Jones."   134.    Open Comments:   135.    TV Scene   136.    Maxie Cleveland "Max" Robinson, Jr. (@39yrs old): American broadcast journalist and founder of the National Association of Black Journalists   137.    Robinson’s first journalism job began and ended in 1959, when he was hired to read news at a Portsmouth, Va., television station. Although the station selected him over an otherwise all-white group of applicants, it still enforced a color barrier by projecting an image of the station’s logo to conceal Robinson as he read the news. He was fired the day after he presented the news without the logo obscuring his face. In 1965 he joined WTOP-TV in Washington, D.C., as a correspondent and camera operator, but he moved quickly to nearby WRC-TV, where he won awards for coverage of race riots and a documentary on life in poor urban neighborhoods. He was hired back by WTOP as its first African American news anchor in 1969 and stayed there until 1978. Robinson moved to Chicago when ABC News chose him as one of three co-anchors for ABC’s World News Tonight. The anchor arrangement ended with the death of co-anchor Frank Reynolds in 1983. Robinson left ABC News shortly thereafter and joined Chicago’s WMAQ-TV as a news anchor (1984–87).   138.    Clarence Page offered a final tribute to his friend Max Robinson in Chicago: "Some journalists are remembered for the stories they covered. Robinson will be remembered for being the story. Like Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color bar in 1947, Max Robinson won't be applauded for his home runs, but for the fact that he ran the bases."   139.    Open Comments:   140.    Final Question: Biggest legacy from 1978?

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Today I've got Deepak Shukla back on the podcast for Part 2. Deepak runs an SEO agency called Pearl Lemon, and he is an expert in SEO. Today we are talking about online reputation management -- one new strategy that will grow your traffic. It's all about managing your online reviews and testimonials because this can have a major impact on how your blog or business shows up in search. You will be blown away by the tactics we discuss, so check it out now. Resources: Pearl Lemon MiloTree StartUp Podcast Moz Capterra Wordpress Plugin Marketplace Shopify App Store TrustPilot Secrets of a Six Figure Lead Gen Consultant Transcript: One New Strategy that Will Grow My Traffic with Deepak Shukla Jillian Leslie 0:03 Welcome to The Blogger Genius Podcast. Brought to you by MiloTree. Here's your host, Jillian Leslie. Deepak, welcome back to the show. Deepak Shukla 2:26 Hey, Jillian, how are you? Jillian Leslie 2:28 It is so great having you back on the podcast. And as I've shared with you, I got such great response from your first episode. If anybody hasn't listened to it... Deepak Shukla 2:39 Oh, thank God. Jillian Leslie 2:40 ...I'll link it in the show notes so you can hear part one. Deepak Shukla 2:45 Yeah, I had a lot of fun. And thank you. I'm really glad and happy to hear that. Thank you. To the listeners. Jillian Leslie 2:52 Yeah, you were so generous with what you shared. And since then, just to get everybody up to speed, we have decided that we're going to start working together for MiloTree. Yes. Amazing. Exactly. And the cool part about it is because there's one thing to sharing tips and strategies like on a podcast, just to be talking about it. And it's another thing to actually do it and see what happens. Blogger lessions in SEO Deepak Shukla 3:23 Yeah, completely agree. Completely agree. Completely agree. Jillian Leslie 3:27 So we had our kickoff call with David, my partner, my husband, and afterwards, we're like, "Oh, I wish we had recorded this." So next time, we do that, we'll record it and we'll release it so that people can hear us strategizing and talking about ways we can dig in with SEO, with marketing to grow MiloTree. Deepak Shukla 3:50 Completely agree. Jillian Leslie 3:52 I know. So it's really fun. And I don't know if anybody has ever listened to the podcast Startup. But the first season was exactly that. It was them trying to raise money and kind of what the journey was, and all the mistakes in the work. So hopefully, you'll get to see our mistakes in the works too, and be kind. Deepak Shukla 4:15 Exactly. Be kind. Jillian Leslie 4:17 Be kind. Deepak Shukla 4:18 I know. I'm happy to be a part of the journey and yeah, I'm excited. SEO Strategy: Online Reputation Management Jillian Leslie 4:24 Awesome. Okay. So today, what we're going to do was we were going to go deep in another SEO strategy. So offline, you and I talked about the topic of online reputation management. Deepak Shukla 4:40 It's how we do everything offline anyway, isn't it? I mean, online reputation management really simply is a fancy way of saying, "Well, what do you think about that, Jillian? What did you think of that movie, Jillian? Or have you shopped at H&M or Prime Mark or Walmart? What was it like?" It's literally that, but just online, the management of a reputation that a business has. So it's, yeah, let's get into it. There's a lot there. Jillian Leslie 5:11 Because when you said it, I was like, I don't even know what that means, or how it would relate to an online entrepreneur or a blogger or somebody like that. So would you kind of start there? Like, what is the benefit? What is online reputation management? Deepak Shukla 5:24 Yeah, absolutely. So really, simply, let's start from a couple of ways. So from the kind of common sense perspective, right? When you're about to make a purchasing decision, it's very typical to be part of your kind of initial filter: "Does this business or does this individual or does this product or does this service or does this restaurant, whatever it may be, have good reviews?" What do people think about it? It's something that's a big pot certainly of our landscape is consumers. Before you go to the cinema, you're looking at IMDb, or Rotten Tomatoes, or Metacritic or something. Before you buy something from Amazon, your look to see if they're a trusted seller, same thing on eBay. And the dividing line between that being different from B2B and B2C is ever blurring. And that's why there's probably been this huge rise, many listeners probably, or some businesses have noticed that you just start as I call it, seeing stars and stripes in search a lot more with featured snippets, and just basically seeing stars when you Google a company name, and that's, everybody, what I want you to have. So when people are deciding or people are thinking about, "Can I trust working with you guys?" they'll quickly look and see that, "Well, everybody's saying good things about them; therefore, this is important." And for anyone who's kind of a technician, if you look up, for example, like Moz, their survey basically indicates that online reviews count up to as much as up to 10% towards kind of local SEO in general. It's got a huge kind of constituent ranking factor as to what will help you rank if you do any level of local service. And that's, again, corresponding the beginning to leak into nationwide search and that's why the sites like, I don't know, Capterra or the WordPress repository for plugin reviews or the Shopify repository for in a plugin review. So it's really looking at that person, right? Because this is about conversions. It's really looking at the person who's about to make a decision whether to install or to add to cart or to download and they're deciding whether your business is one that's trustworthy. "How well are they going to to rank you?" "Well, let's see what my friend, Jillian, is telling me about this app before I download it. Ah, she's given it five stars. Jillian's have given this product five stars. Why online reviews are important for online reputation management Therefore, of course, it's going to be the case that that's going to help you basically get highest up on the shelf at eye level, where everybody's looking, which is where you want to be. Jillian Leslie 8:31 It's a funny saying this because in my head, I haven't really thought about it this way, but everything I do is all about reading reviews. My husband refuses to go to a restaurant that isn't highly reviewed on Yelp. Like we could be walking by a restaurant, we're someplace that we've never been before. And I'll go "How about we go here?" And he'll be like, he'll be like, "No" because he has to get on his phone and see what the Yelp review is. And we just moved and so we're buying stuff for our house and like a lot of stuff on Amazon. And it could be like a trash can. And I am always reading the reviews of the the trash can, like it's something stupid. I am trained now to read reviews. Or my Uber driver, I want that five star Uber driver. Deepak Shukla 9:25 Yes, exactly. Exactly. Jillian Leslie 9:27 But I hadn't even thought about. I mean, it's just part of, it's like just part of my nature now that all I think about is how highly reviewed is something. Deepak Shukla 9:38 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. I completely agree. And when you kind of inverse that and think,"How highly reviewed am I?" Jillian Leslie 9:46 Yes, definitely. Deepak Shukla 9:50 Absolutely. And I mean, at its simplest level, Jillian, the big takeaway for everybody, of course, and people are kind of fearful of the idea of asking somebody or how does it work in practice, but reviews are huge. And your wonderful partner, David, has just demonstrated that by making you literally move away from restaurants that you're outside the front door of... Jillian Leslie 10:17 Yeah. Deepak Shukla 10:17 ...because it doesn't have... How powerful is that? Jillian Leslie 10:21 I know, I know. But it's funny because remember, you'd be on vacation, you see a restaurant, you just go in, and it's like, "Oh, no, we don't do that anymore." Deepak Shukla 10:29 Yes, yes. Exactly. Exactly. And here's a statistic, I think, that is mind blowing to me that local search as in the Google three pack, the stuff that appears in when people run searches, and they are running a local search, apparently, up to more than 60% of the time, depending upon what comes up within the top five, it results in an offline purchase. It's incredibly... It's incredible. And Google My Business, the place on the right hand side, they encourage you to go out and get reviews. It's part of their listed ranking algorithm. And, but Google is saying "Hey, help us help you. Ethically go and ask customers for reviews." Advice: You don't just need to get reviews from customers or clients And to make this really practical. And this is the part that I think sometimes people get worried about, you don't just need to get reviews from customers or clients. You have partners, you have people that you pay for services, people that you buy services from, people that you've worked with in business, people that you've done lots of weird and wonderful things with as long as there's something commercially that's happened, and they feel that they've benefited or vice versa, there's no reason why it isn't ethical to ask them for review. And that is something that is probably the lowest hanging fruit in terms of going out and generating reviews out of the gate, because you'll have friends that you built in business. And LinkedIn recommendations. Jillian Leslie 12:11 Right, I like what you're saying, which is being strategic about how you curate. It is about curating your reputation. It's not just saying "Hey, anybody, write a review for me" but it's saying "I know this person. I've done business with them." That person is going to say something that will shine a light on how good my product or service is. Absolutely, absolutely, I think that you've, you've hit the nail on the head, Jillian, that's within your network through and when I say you, I'm talking to you, the audience, right, you're in business, or you're going into business, but you at some level, have done something that constitutes advice. One of the things that I've began doing when I was starting my agency in the early days, the first two months, when I was scrambling, I would have 20 minute calls where I give some great advice. People would say "Amazing, thank you." It wasn't commercial. That was just a conversation. And at that moment, though, they would say, "Wow, thank you so much for this advice. Can I help you any way?" I would, at that moment, have a link ready and they "Actually, David, you can." Is it okay if you just leave a review for me just reflecting what you just said, that you had a consulting call with Deepak, it went really well, or whatever you want to say that you think is relevant? Could you do that for me? And who's going to say no, after that, and that was probably where I got my first 30 reviews from across the board online. Well, okay, today, just before I got on this call, I got an email from someone who I don't know, and who just said, "I want you to know, I'm really enjoying the podcast." And I wrote back "Thank you so, so much for reaching out. I'm so glad. We've got some great episodes coming up. So stay tuned." And now, I'm kicking myself that I didn't say "Hey, by the way, could you write a review on iTunes? Here's a link." How to ask people for online reviews Deepak Shukla 14:14 Jillian, the goodwill is not lost. I would recommend and advocate that you go back through your inbox, search keywords that relate to anyone who's left an enthusiastic response and spend two hours crafting a shit load of follow ups to say, "You know what, I'm kicking myself. Is it okay that what you wrote here, insert quote, you could reflect that, you putting a review online? I really appreciate it, like smiley emoji, prayer hands and see what it throws back." Because I've also done that exact same thing. And that's always how I followed up and 20% of the time, people say, "You know what? Yeah, I can definitely write that for you. Because there's still goodwill between us." Jillian Leslie 14:57 Oh, okay, because I have to say, I don't know, putting maybe some emojis in there, like it's hard. We talked about this the last time. It makes me cringe. It's hard to ask. Deepak Shukla 15:09 I understand. You have to, when we go in, I always go into conversations like that within mind that everybody favors the underdog. So position yourself as the underdog. And when people feel like they're doing something to help you succeed. And that you're being really kind of nice with it, I found that I get way better responses. And the best way in absence of my body language and tone of voice and my loveliness on call is emojis. Jillian Leslie 15:42 I just have to tell you, there's a reflection on my screen right now. So I can see myself and as I'm talking to you, I am like holding my mouth because I can tell that, like not consciously, but I can tell how uncomfortable this is for me. I have my hand like over my mouth going "Oh, this seems so." So I have to work. I feel like this is like our therapy session that I have to get better at being okay asking for that. Deepak Shukla 16:15 And if it helps to the technically minded people out there, Google is beginning to index emojis as part of search. Oh, really? So you can search with a burger icon plus near me and Google will bring up burger joints near you. It's something that has begun to start featuring recently. Therefore, this is a thing the young kids are doing it. So let it be known that there's data to support the rise of the emoji even from a Google ranking perspective. Jillian Leslie 16:48 That's so interesting. Please leave a review for me and The Blogger Genius Podcast on iTunes Hey, it's Jillian and I am doing the uncomfortable. I'm doing what Deepak suggests. I am asking you to rate me and to rate The Blogger Genius. So if you head over to iTunes, please leave a review or rate us. I am so curious to hear what you have to say. And remember, if I can do this, so can you. So now back to my interview with Deepak. How a food blogger can ask for reviews Okay, is there a use case for a blogger? Let's say, I'm a food blogger. We have a lot of food bloggers. Is there a use case for reputation management for a food blogger? Let's say I don't even sell any or let's say maybe I do affiliate marketing. Maybe I sell a cookbook, and I make a lot of money via traffic and working with brands. Deepak Shukla 17:43 Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think that it's a really amazing place to get reviews because the biggest number one thing when it comes to converting traffic, you're a food blogger, you talk about food that you love, what we want is some kind of audit-able trail of people saying how fabulous your recommendations have been. And that was a couple of things. So number one, in terms of, let's answer the practical question, where would those reviews live? Jillian Leslie 18:18 Yeah. Deepak Shukla 18:19 Well, number one, as places like Trust Pilot. Number two, I would look at also where you can get reviews that relate to your industry. My initial place for everything is Trust Pilot. Jillian Leslie 18:32 I don't even know. What is Trust Pilot? Deepak Shukla 18:34 Trust Pilot is literally as it says on the tin. It's all about kind of trust. And I have a Trust Pilot that relates to both my business and both me personally so when you search Deepak Shukla, for example. So, so, okay, brilliant. I'm thinking out loud now. Yes, to extend it. So to be practical, number one, Trust Pilot is a great platform to ask people for reviews upon. Index is very well and good going. It does give you the stars and stripes effect which is pretty nice. If you search even Deepak Shukla, it's about paid position number nine. So people can actually rank for their own keyword or their own name. So if you're a food blogger and your blog is, I don't know, Frank. Frank Loves Food, or Frank, Frank Reynolds, because you're Frank Reynolds, then you can get some stars and stripes next to your name if you are a food blogger. So it really helps with branded search number one, and then people see that you're someone who's got a lot of reviews online; therefore, they'll trust the advice that you give. So you can really just treat yourself like a business to that extent. Leaving reviews on Facebook for repetitional management Deepak Shukla 19:44 So really simply, food bloggers. So number one, TrustPilot. Number two, Facebook reviews because Google indexes Facebook reviews big time, so one of the things that I quickly did was I have my own personal Facebook like page. It stands to reason a blogger will have a page either related to their blog or related to them personally. Jillian Leslie 20:05 Well, like if you have a business page on Facebook, people can leave reviews? Deepak Shukla 20:11 You can leave reviews. You can leave a review for somebody so you could go over right now to me on Facebook, and you'll see that I've got about 30 plus reviews. Document everything. When someone leaves a comment on your blog, also ought them to, could you write that on Facebook as a like and then you can begin to get the stars and stripes effect of course because Google has Facebook like reviews then you've got from Trust Pilot. If you want to set your business up locally, then you can also get into the Google business reviews and other ranking factor and then of course, you can use that as part of either your copy or your content, and put it around any of those key areas that you wish to of course have people convert from. So on the same page, for example, that you have a particularly well-performing, or maybe even an under-performing affiliate link that has a high rate of traffic, you could experiment with inserting Deepak Shukla as seen on Trust Pilot, take 109 reviews online and you can put the direct links to it and again engender trust that while Deepak must know about food, if he's got all of these reviews. Jillian Leslie 21:19 I was just thinking. Let's say I'm a food blogger. And one of the ways I monetize is working with brands. If I could send them a link like let's say, there's a brand I really love and I want to work with them like Ben and Jerry's... Deepak Shukla 21:34 Yeah. Jillian Leslie 21:35 ...and I find out who their person, their social media person is, and I send an email saying, "I'd love Ben and Jerry's. Here's why," but if I also were to put, again, that a link to something that gives reviews about my recipes, or even working with me, that I am trustworthy and that I produce good content, that could be a great way to give myself that edge. Deepak Shukla 22:06 Absolutely. 100%. I mean, if that leads to Ben and Jerry's getting reviews and referring back to you, if that leads to you writing an open letter as a blogger saying, "Ben and Jerry's, I'd love to work with you," and then referencing some way to lead that into a review that, then absolutely, and I think that at a food blogger level. I think that this is where there's space for the individual and building trust and thinking about the ways that you can do that. Document all your reviews and testimonials Because the irony is that when we talk reviews, blog comments, YouTube video comments, that all forms and reviews. A review is simply an online testimonial that verifies what you're saying, or what you've said or who you are, or what you've delivered is of know, and is now worthy. And the really important biggest takeaway is that document everything. If it's in your inbox and nowhere else, it's useless. Jillian Leslie 23:10 I love that. Okay, so for me, the way that I document stuff is I have a folder in my email, and I call it "love letters." And if somebody, if you write me a love letter, I will save it in love letters, but then I don't go back to them. They make me happy, I appreciate them. I always write back to them, that kind of thing. And then I also have a Trello board where I have asked people for reviews of MiloTree, and I will keep those and then I will recycle those. Like we have testimonials on our homepage. Deepak Shukla 23:45 Yeah. Yeah. Jillian Leslie 23:46 But I do feel like I'm not doing enough with these comments and reviews and things like that. Deepak Shukla 23:54 And absolutely, and it's great that you've documented it in Trello as well as the other places you have been because you have them there. And this can be even something as simple as creating a dedicated page for your reviews and enabling the Discuss plugin on WordPress or whatever you want to use to capture comments and then that could be used and re-purposed in so many ways in terms of how you reuse that across your site. A lot like these info product marketers that will screenshot so many reviews, and the simplest way to do this is as soon as someone leaves a comment that's really positive in your inbox or something. An Instagram direct message or a Facebook message, then send them a link to a dedicated... milotree.com page. We'd love to hear what you think about us page where people can just literally write up a comment and publish it on your site. Jillian Leslie 24:46 Wow. Wow. Okay, this is kind of blowing my mind because it is about making it easy to do, right? Deepak Shukla 24:56 Absolutely. Make it easy for people to leave reviews Jillian Leslie 24:57 Because I guess the thing that I would say is all of my stuff, they're all over the place in different buckets, kind of like I'll get to them at some point. Deepak Shukla 25:06 Yep. Yep. Build one bucket. Make sure that it's so easy for people to just make it as easy as writing a Facebook instant message if you find that the review platforms aren't of use because you're a blogger and open that page up to the world and let people see. And how powerful would it be of what people are saying about us page where there's just literally tons of comments that fills up with an endless scroll and the use or the flow for that is "Oh my god, that podcast with x person was so great, Jillian. Amazing! Could you say exactly what you just said on this page?" You can just type it in and you send them a link to milotree.com/wonderful-words or whatever it may be. Jillian Leslie 25:52 Right. Right. Deepak Shukla 25:52 And again, they type it in, published, done, off and away, and you've got it documented in a way that Google will index that reflects upon you really well, that engender trust because if it's a social login, then leave their Facebook page or leave their link to their Facebook and then the app, the devil's advocate, is thinking, "Can I trust Jillian and MiloTree?" She'll see 57 reviews with people that have left their direct Facebook link which means they can link back to their actual page, and it creates also a very transparent level of trust. So there's all of these benefits are begin to come from building buckets that make it easier than ever for people to be able to leave reviews. Jillian Leslie 26:39 Google is rewarding this. Google wants to know that Deepak does good work. Deepak Shukla 26:48 Absolutely, as I said, it's up to 10% now as a ranking factor in terms of percentages what Google favors like reviews I'm seeing. And I would, again, just point to the common sense experience that people have the reviews are too big to be ignored. There are, I don't know if they're billion dollar but TripAdvisor... Jillian Leslie 27:10 TripAdvisor, yes. Deepak Shukla 27:14 ...is built literally around reviews. Jillian Leslie 27:16 Yes. Deepak Shukla 27:17 It does. Jillian Leslie 27:18 And it's so funny you saying this because again, I live my life based on reviews. And I haven't really thought about it. I hadn't thought intentionally about managing my own reviews. Now, let's talk about this. Which is, I think what is cool about it is it does make you up your own game. It does make you believe in karma. Deepak Shukla 27:44 Yeah, yeah. Jillian Leslie 27:45 Which is I'm gonna put my best work out there because somebody could write something about me. Deepak Shukla 27:53 Absolutely. Absolutely. Then it just becomes a win-win always because it brings more value to the exchange because you know that you can not only deliver value but the other person can give value back via the review because a review, Gary Vaynerchuk talks about this: document, don't create. It's his phrase and just building opportunities that make it easier than ever for any positive comment to be documented is so important. AppSumo ended up taking advice for me because they couldn't understand how I was able to... I've done a course launch basically. And what's interesting about my course launch was that I was able to generate about 23 video reviews, literally people on YouTube saying great stuff about the course before anyone had actually even finished the course. Jillian Leslie 28:47 Really? How to get testimonials before people have completed your course Deepak Shukla 28:48 Yes, you could go on to YouTube right now and type Deepak Shukla. Deepak Shukla testimonials, I think. I'm just searching now. Here's 23 videos up that are all in relation to a course. And what's really interesting about it, of course, is that none of them had yet finished the course. This is literally after two weeks of the course going live. And it's like a three month program. And they were like "How are you able to do that?" And I said that "Yes, if you search Deepak Shukla testimonials on YouTube, you'll find a bunch of the reviews as to that ranked top at the moment. And they're two of many. And again, the way that you do this is in effect is simple. It's what you see in the retail world all of the time, when did they upsell you the popcorn at the cinema, which they make far more money on this in the cinema ticket, when you just purchase a ticket, and you're really excited to go and watch the Avengers or Avatar or Bohemian Rhapsody or whatever it may be. So you need to hit your customers with the asked at the point at which they're the happiest. And everybody's the happiest when either one, they're gushing; two, actually gushing because they bought something and it's really excited. They're really excited. And then or after, when they come and reach out to you, as soon as people were like, "Hey, I've just bought the course, Deepak. I'm so pumped." I'd say immediately "That is amazing. Could you just record a video if it's okay? Please say why you bought the course in the first place, what was different about my marketing and what you felt made me trustworthy, given there's lots of so called gurus, out there, and people are really happy. But yeah, I'll absolutely do that. Because it's at the point of purchase that you go and tell everybody, "Hey, I've invested in the MiloTree pop up," or "Hey, I've just bought something from here." And that's when you want to move forward with the documentation process. Jillian Leslie 30:55 Okay, first of all, what is the course? Deepak Shukla 30:58 It's called Secrets of a Six Figure Lead Gen Consultant. It talks about how I built my agency using cold email and how you can. It really focuses around how to build an agency based around cold email, because that was how I built my SEO agency in the beginning. Day one, the problem that I had was that I couldn't rely initially on SEO for my initial means of revenue, to attract customers to my site to then sell them SEO. So I had to find different means. And it goes through ultimately, it's really about how to build a pipeline, how to build a continual flow of sales calls that you can get on where people are interested in working with you. Because in the service industry, the biggest problem that people have is that you have a great product of course, as we know, but how do we get people that are interested in potentially buying from you to talk to you. Example of how to get testimonials And Secrets of a Six-Figure Lead Gen Consultant really deals with that. The space of lead generation based upon someone who has no network, never wants to meet anybody, wants to work from home, you know, how was it he go about build a business. So that's what the course is about which is of course, a side note. Jillian Leslie 32:13 I know. But I'm curious only because, again, this comes so naturally to you. Okay, how about the idea? So let's go through a couple usecases. So we talked about a food blogger, let's say somebody who sells a product. Deepak Shukla 32:31 Okay. Yeah, absolutely. So I think that in the space of e-commerce, let's say that you sell a teapot or let's say, you've got a teapot because you're British like me. So you drink tea. So therefore, you sell it, and you're British Indian like me. So that means that you're the big exporter of tea so you send it from India to the UK and now, you sell teapots. What a lovely business. It's great. So you're selling teapots online, of course, and you may be making let's just say 10 sales a day to people they haven't met. The question always is, as you know, how do you get reviews. So there's two ways to do this, I think. There's the first way which everybody kind of knows and works to a limited degree, which is some form of automation, which is okay, someone's just purchased, boom, hit them with an email saying, "Hey, what do you think about a product? Could you leave a review saying what you thought about" which can work. Certainly, if you're doing things at scale, then I think that there's a benefit to that. There's a second way that I think can turn customers into raving fans that will write gushing reviews that can even write blog posts about your product. And that's the way that I prefer, so the way that you do that, and again, remember we discussed about everybody favors the underdog. Why the people love Rocky, why? Absolutely, so in that instance, if you're a e-commerce business owner, deepaksteapots.com then deepaksteapots.com would have an intern because you probably do have an intern anyway because you're growing e-commerce business. If you've got an intern and I do have, for example, I have a virtual assistant called Lincoln. Lincoln works with me. You can look him up on PearlLemon.com. I think he's there, and Lincoln... Jillian Leslie 34:29 Where is he located? Deepak Shukla 34:30 Lincoln located in Kingston, Jamaica. I'm slowly employing his entire classroom which is quite interesting and brilliant. And Lincoln really just would see a transaction that goes through from jeremywillis.com, would look up jeremywillis.com online, find him probably on Facebook and reach out as you know an intern at PearlLemon or deepaksteapots.com and say, "Hey, Jeff, I hope you don't mind me reaching out. I noticed that you bought a teapot." And he's like, "Yeah, dude. Yeah." And basically creating this level of personal reach out and catching people when they're excited, and they won't work for everybody because you need to be able to find them on Facebook, need to find them. You can just email them also. But really, if you can send personalized messages, get a really crazy, enthusiastic response from somebody saying, "Dude, I'm so excited. I've just got my teapot. I'm about to get my teapot." You can then asked him the same thing saying, "Hey, that's brilliant. I would totally love, if it's okay, could you just record a video saying why you bought the teapot, what you thought about deepaksteapots.com, what was it that made you buy our teapot instead of other teapots." And they're yet to receive the teapot and just ordered it. They're super excited so a proportion of people but, "You know what, screw it. I will record a video about teapots," or, "I will leave a review online about teapots." Or and again, I'm reusing the same process, Jillian to support the SEO growth of my course. Because I'm beginning to get people to write case studies now, and to write reviews of the course, and then to link back to the course at the moment when they're happiest and then asking them if they do that favor for me. And by and large, people say yes. And when you position it as someone who's inside the business if you're an e-commerce store, just reaching out to Jeff saying, "Hey, what did you think? Sorry to reach out on Facebook. I apologize." But you've just bought a teapot from the company. So of course, you're going to accept it. "Oh, no. Hey, man, it's cool. It's really cool. This is released. This is really novel. I like it." "How can I help?" Or "I love your teapots." Jillian Leslie 36:44 Interesting. Is there a way to do a quid pro quo in terms of, like, does that seem smarmy and not as cool like, let's say, somebody buys your teapot. And guess what? He said he sells tea or he sells a different product or whatever, to say, "Hey, would you review this? And I'd love to take a look at your stuff." Or... Deepak Shukla 37:11 Absolutely. You know what? It really, so in my experience, I always go for building that further down the line of the value ladder. So that it depends upon the nature of the ask. So in my experience, if someone's like, bought your teapot, and they sell tea, first of all, you can say, "Hey, how's the teapot? Or is everything okay? Why did you buy the teapot?" They say, "It looks really good." I would, at that stage, maybe awesome to leave a review. And then later down the line asked about doing some level of higher exchange. Because you know what, a lot of this depends upon who you're asking. If you're asking me, Jillian, I could leave a review and five seconds, right? So we don't know how big the ask is. I would say, in my experience, that experimentation, once you've got direct dialogue with a customer, it's really easy. It's when you send emails off into the business, it's a problem that you don't know how it's received. So what this does, when you communicate with someone on a direct messaging platform where it feels more personal, you then immediately reframe the conversation. So what connecting with somebody on Facebook does, if it's someone internal and you're selling tea pots, and the other person sells tea, is it makes the conversation much more mano a mano instead of one business to another. Jillian Leslie 38:35 Yes. Deepak Shukla 38:36 And that is way more productive in terms of eeking out something productive. Jillian Leslie 38:40 Yes. I mean, I keep hearing this, which is anybody who leaves a comment on an Instagram post, you kind of have the right to strike up a conversation with them. Deepak Shukla 38:52 Absolutely. I mean, they're your fan, they've said it publicly in some way, or they're expressing their enthusiasm that they like you. Jillian Leslie 39:01 Right. Exactly, like those are, that's kind of like, that's your low hanging fruit. Are even people who are just commenting on your post, like, that's a way to build that relationship. Deepak Shukla 39:14 Absolutely. And then once you begin to build a process for that, what becomes really powerful is that then you can begin to audit, which are these people have a social media presence in their own right. If you have a SAS product, for example, like MiloTree, what we'll do. Jillian Leslie 39:29 Wait a minute. I just want to stop you. It sounds great in your accent. So you're saying, I have a SAS product. And in my accent, which means software as a service? Deepak Shukla 39:39 Yes. Jillian Leslie 39:40 Like a subscription? Okay, that sounds better the way you say it. Deepak Shukla 39:45 Oh, I don't know about that. But absolutely, if you have a SAS product like MiloTree, I would say that you're going to have some raving fans who just installed it or said "Just bought your product. I'm pumped." And all you need to do is number one, obviously build a process in place to say "Hey, that's awesome. Could you be so happy to leave a review, just explaining why you decided to buy the product?" And then that does not hold on anything unethical because you've been very clear about what you're asking for. You're not asking them to review the product, you're asking them to write a review for why they bought the product. That's number one. Number two, is that once they begin using the product, you check in and say "How's it going?" They're like, "Hey, yeah, loving it." And you're like, "Amazing. Could you now leave a second review on a different platform?" The first platform could be the WordPress plugin repository site. The second platform could be Capterra where you can look at a review so that would be the second thing. And then the third thing down the line is that, "Hey, you know what? This is out there. But we'd love to maybe give you three months of free." And if they have a blog, basically, you want them to write a case study. Jillian Leslie 41:00 Okay. How to ask someone to write a blog post review of your product Deepak Shukla 41:01 Or if they've recorded a video testimonial, you can probably put those. You can turn that into a transcript. And you could write the elements of a blog post in their behalf. To be honest with you, I've just asked people to say "Hey, how would you feel about writing a blog post?" And some people have said to me "Deepak, I don't even have a blog." And I'd say "How about you create a blog on wordpress.org and just write one up?" They're like, "You know what? I love your product for you, man. I'll do it. And they do. Jillian Leslie 41:27 Wow. Okay. Deepak Shukla 41:28 And I say look, just do it on wordpress.org. Just link back to the site. It's all good. I just care about you or even say, "Write the blog post and I will sort out the technical and just whip up a wordpress.org site very quickly just so they can post it for secretsofasixfigureleadgenconsultant.wordpress.org. And I don't see really many people doing this like really TEDx-ing how much goodwill that you get from people and how much people want to see you succeed if they think what you're doing is really valuable. Jillian Leslie 42:01 I love that. I love that. Weirdly, I feel like I am looking right now in the world for moments of kindness. I feel myself trying to be even more kind and giving because I feel like the world is in a tricky place. Deepak Shukla 42:20 Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it is. That it is. Jillian Leslie 42:22 I noticed myself. I mean, this is like, but just even at the grocery store saying a little bit of a stronger "thank you", just validate for people that this world is a really lovely place. So you saying this somehow is triggering that kindness place like hoping that we all have the capacity for goodness. Deepak Shukla 42:46 Absolutely, absolutely. And everybody is listening that this all come from a place of me assuming and knowing that you're already delivering the value. So the value that you deliver is worthy of asking for review. And I'd say to anybody that believe in what you offer. If you don't believe in what you offer, then maybe you're offering the right thing because if once you know that what you're giving is value, then asking somebody that they can help you on your journey by writing a review by putting a blog post together by writing by recording a quick two minute video, which is easy as these days is absolutely okay, and also the ethical thing to do because it helps them as well. Have a link on your site to testimonials Jillian Leslie 43:31 Yeah, absolutely. Yes, in fact, absolutely, I love this. So do you recommend then on a blog like even on our MiloTree site to have like a link to testimonials? Deepak Shukla 43:47 Oh, 100%. You want to overwhelm people with social proof, you want to leave no kind of stone on uncovered. The number one, the company. So the company in this case would be MiloTree, for example. Jillian Leslie 44:14 Okay. Yeah. Deepak Shukla 44:14 The number two, they need to be convinced on the service or product. So the product in this case would be the pop ups that you guys offer. They need to be convinced "Oh, MiloTree is a company." They need to be convinced on the pop ups. They need to be convinced on the individual who's going to be delivering the product or the service, which in this case, might be whoever it is on customer support, or whoever is the account manager, or broadly speaking, the founders of the company. And those three spaces need to be in alignment. So those three spaces need to in order to get as many conversions as possible, because you can have two out of three, and you can still make a sale. People can be convinced on a product, people can be convinced on the company, and people don't really know who the founders are and they can still buy the product, but then you don't build what I call brand loyalty really. Jillian Leslie 45:04 Right. Deepak Shukla 45:06 Because you connect it more and more so, especially today to a person. So I would absolutely say that testimonials reviews give people kind of no room to question the excellency of what you deliver. And certainly I think that in terms of the conversions that we've made as a business, our social proof Pearl Lemon, that we built has been such an outlier that it's been incredibly helpful in... There's never ever been any issues with quality or trust or service or delivery. And this is me selling high ticket items where it's going from three to $5,000 a month and people that I've not met on the basis of one or two phone calls, and they're happy to just wire me money across and... Jillian Leslie 45:57 Wow. Deepak Shukla 45:57 ...what we need to think about in those instances is what can we do to leave no stone unturned? And this is where, as I said, Jillian, that a lot of people have typically one of those things out of alignment. The importance of building brand loyalty And if you're a brand that's faceless, then you have the issue of they're not really sold on the people behind the brand because it doesn't exist, and therefore, it becomes a little bit of comparing apples to apples meaning that MiloTree is no different from other pop ups. Jillian Leslie 46:28 Right. Deepak Shukla 46:29 But if I get Jillian with MiloTree... Jillian Leslie 46:32 Right. Deepak Shukla 46:33 ...no one else is Jillian. Jillian Leslie 46:34 Right. Well, two things that I, well, it's funny, I didn't do this from a strategic point of view. But I started the podcast because I'm super curious. And I thought, wow, if I have a podcast and I can interview people, I can help people by sharing like Deepak, your knowledge. And I can learn, and everybody can learn. And hopefully, people get to know me behind MiloTree, especially because again, like we built this for ourselves, it worked, and we're in the trenches also. That was really what I was trying to communicate. And then I also have my newsletter, where if you join MiloTree, I send you weekly nuggets. And again, it's so that you see that I'm in here struggling along with you. And that there's no, like, we're not some big company, we're just David and Jill trying to build something and help inspire others on their journey. Deepak Shukla 47:35 Absolutely. And your biggest unique assets are completely absent from your website, which is the crazy thing, right? Because there's not any pictures of you or David, which would be really endearing because "I want to support you, the little guys." And you said you have a cross fertilize. I can go from your podcast or to your blog to MiloTree, but I can't go from MiloTree to anywhere else. And it becomes, it looks and smells and feels a lot more like a big company. Jillian Leslie 48:08 I think that's what we were trying to do was for us to look bigger than we are. Deepak Shukla 48:20 Absolutely. Well, you're selling a product that's for $9 a month. Small businesses are going to be buying it and it's going to be composed of individuals. Jillian Leslie 48:32 Right. Deepak Shukla 48:32 Or what I do because I'm trying to sell, of course, a high ticket service that doesn't scale with any way that MiloTree does. It's important that for me to make sure I position myself and my agency as a company, of course, that we are, but with your audience, it's different from the audience that I sell to. And it could be that there's a little bit of a misalignment with what you offer versus who's buying it. Building a cohesive whole with your business Jillian Leslie 48:59 Yep. I see that. I see that. Yeah, I think that we're not putting that, again, that things are in buckets. I've talked about this previously on the podcast, and we need to kind of build more of a cohesive whole. Deepak Shukla 49:15 Well, the brilliant thing is that it's already, with all of that being said, the design and how it is presented is already excellent. And it's just little tweaks that we can apply to the company and we all do this right. We fall into what I call a little bit of a corporate mode, and we forget kind of where our roots are, and why people followed us in the first place. And I think that certainly the more that we see that and it's going to be relatively simple, I think the greater returns that you'll get because that's, of course, as everybody talks about, certainly in the blogging space, this is how you build your tribe. So let's give them the opportunity to become loyal to MiloTree. Jillian Leslie 49:58 Yes, yes. Yes. Oh, Deepak, honestly, I feel like this has been so valuable. And I hope as bloggers, entrepreneurs, creative entrepreneurs, you recognize, I am recognizing the value of people getting to know you and writing authentically about you. And I see so many ways that this is valuable. One being Google. Deepak Shukla 50:28 Yeah, yeah. Jillian Leslie 50:31 Thinking your own life where like you won't go to a restaurant unless it has good reviews, or you won't buy on Amazon just thinking or go on that trip without looking at TripAdvisor. So you've got Google, but also, you've got that personal touch. Deepak Shukla 50:48 Yeah. Absolutely. Jillian Leslie 50:49 And I feel that people can go, Oh like, we've gotten some reviews, for example, where people have said, "Wow, Jillian and David were so helpful, because one thing that we try so hard is to provide really good customer service. And I've always discredited those testimonials." Deepak Shukla 51:08 Yeah. Jillian Leslie 51:08 Because I've weirdly thought it doesn't make us look corporate if they're talking about Jill and David being like, right there solving their problem, solving people's problems. Deepak Shukla 51:19 Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Jillian Leslie 51:20 And now I'm thinking "No, we want people to see that." Deepak Shukla 51:24 Absolutely. I think that you just look to the voyeuristic nature of what people love right now. Snapchat is probably the best example of it as a billion dollar company that's focused around, give us the snap literally... Show your personality in your blog or company Jillian Leslie 51:40 Totally. Deepak Shukla 51:41 ...of what you're up to at the moment or live streams, etc. So, I think that it's definitely a great opportunity, and it's going to be with people to offer so much value. And the beautiful thing here is your neurons are probably firing, and you're thinking of about 110 different things you got to activate. And I always wanted to be, I always want, I wanted to be stuff that you can just go out and do and that you get, and then it does carry a return and stuff. And I think that this is certainly where everything is going or if not, it's already gone. And the more that you can kind of personalize and show your quirks, the more that I think you'll get people that will just love you guys and stay with you. Jillian Leslie 52:26 Thank you. And again, though, for our audience, if you reach out to brands, and you want to sell yourself, get some testimonials that you can then send over so that you can increase your trust if you sell a product, get people talking about using your product. Or if people are loving your recipes, put those up. If you're a food blogger, and you're like, "Yeah, but I just monetize via ads." Deepak Shukla 52:56 Absolutely. Imagine being able to show Ben and Jerry's Jane's blog about food is the reason why I'm an addicted Ben and Jerry's customer, then you can get a review like that and sending that over to their marketing manager. How powerful is that and how different is that from anything else that verifies that you're smart with SEO? It demonstrates that you've got a real audience and it's just so different from anything else that it's much more likely to get responses. So if you can generate reviews at scale, and you can get your customers to insert the keywords of the products they bought, especially if you're an affiliate, that just creates endless leverage for the things that you can do with that. Jillian Leslie 53:37 And the one last piece, as women, my audience is predominantly women, get used to being uncomfortable in asking because I'm right there with you. And I am now going to after we get off this call, email that person back and ask if they would write just a two or three sentence something that I can then use. Deepak Shukla 53:58 Brilliant. I think that you absolutely should, and I hope that everyone listening does the same thing. Jillian Leslie 54:03 Yes, we'll do it together. So Deepak, thank you so much for for this. I feel like I have learned so much. I hope, as audience members, that you guys have a bunch of takeaways. And this makes me think to put a more personal touch on stuff. Deepak Shukla 54:22 Absolutely. I think that let's all remember that you can position yourself as professionally as you want to. But no one's fooling anybody. People will Google you before they're going to buy anything from you, or if they do buy and they haven't googled you, they're probably gonna have a bad retention rate because they don't care enough, and it was more of an impulse purchase. So give your audience reasons to love you. Jillian Leslie 54:46 I love that. Okay, so we're going to be back at some point where we talk about us like down in the in the nitty gritty, rolling up our sleeves and seeing what's working and what's not. So please come back and listen to our journey. Deepak Shukla 55:03 Absolutely. I'm excited. Jillian Leslie 55:06 Deepak, how can people find you? Deepak Shukla 55:09 Absolutely, guys. And why I'd say guys? Sorry, ladies, I apologize. Yeah, no my mistake. I am sorry. Ladies, if you listen, just check deepakshukla.com, head to deepakshukla.com. If you're interested in the course I spoke about earlier, there's a pop up that will appear at the top. If it doesn't, then find a way to message me online, on the site. There's a bunch of different ways, and I always do my best to respond to everything. So you can catch me there. Jillian Leslie 55:39 Alright. Wonderful. And spell your last name? Deepak Shukla 55:41 Yes, absolutely. So D E E P A K, first name. Last Name, Shukla, S H U K L A.  If all of that fails, and you could just look up Deepak Shukla and spell it still incorrectly and write TEDx. I've got a TEDx talk that you could find that ranks. Okay, so you could go ahead and just wander over to that. Jillian Leslie 56:04 Oh, wonderful. Well, I look forward to going on this journey with you. Deepak Shukla 56:08 Ditto. Ditto. Jillian Leslie 56:09 I hope you liked this episode. And as Deepak said, our reputations really matter and that includes our social media reputations. If you want to grow engaged, active followers and subscribers. I invite you to go to milotree.com to sign up for our pop ups. You get your first 30 days free and see what we can do for you, and how you can really put your social media accounts on steroids.  

In Episode 003 of the Origin Stories: A Podcast About Politics and People, longtime talk radio producer Brent Jabbour speaks Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse about going from being a theatre major in college to working as Communications Director for the Democratic National Committee. Woodhouse also discusses the interesting situation of having a brother who is the Executive Director of the North Carolina Republican Party. Subscribe to the podcast onItunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spreaker, TuneIN, or wherever you consume Podcasts.Again, if you like the project share it with your friends, follow me on Twitter @BrentJabbour and/or like the page on Facebook.Transcript:This is episode three of Origin Stories: A Podcast about politics and People. My name Brent Jabbour and this week we speak with Brad Woodhouse. He is the executive director at Protect Our Care. He is the former DNC Communications Director, he was an Obama surrogate in 08 and 2012. He's what I would consider a Democratic operative, that is just a buzzword, it doesn't really mean anything in particular. It's like a Democratic strategist. It just means what's going on. He knows the inner-workings of what is going on with the party. And, we had a pretty good discussion. I always found Brad pretty interesting because his brother is the Executive Director of the North Carolina Republican Party and he is entering his second cycle there. So, he is this key Democratic operative his brother high ranking Republican in the North Carolina party. They've actually played that up, you've seen them appear on Fox together, on CSpan, there is a famous viral clip of them going at it and their mom giving a call into the program. He's a really personable guy, we've had him on the Ed Schultz Radio show and the Ed Show on MSNBC quite a bit. So I have spoken with him many times and he was always friendly. He was just a guy I thought has a lot of personality and I would love to sit him down and talk about what's going on right now in politics in the United States. So, we touched on that.We talked about his Origin Story, if you will, he started out thinking he could be a big movie star because he was a theatre major in college. Then he saw Bill Clinton accept the Democratic nomination in 1992. And, it just clicked for him. And he decided to go into politics as his family had in the past. We talk about a lot of things. We obviously re-litigate the 2016 election because you can't sit down with anyone today without doing that. But we also talk about what is important for Democrats to win in 2018 and then moving into 2020. He is very critical of President Donald Trump so we will talk a lot about that. I think it was a really enjoyable conversation. Just a little bit of a heads up. Next week, I have already recorded it, but I sat down with my first sitting United States Congressman, that's an elected official, that's a big deal for me. I go to go into Congress and actually sit down with somebody. I sat down with Kevin Cramer of North Dakota who is in a big Senate race and I speak a lot about that race. In fact, we talk about that in this particular episode of the podcast. Looking forward to that.If you like what you hear, remember to subscribe on Itunes or wherever you get your podcasts so you can get it delivered right to your ears. Would love for that to be the case for you every Thursday when we release new episodes. You can follow on Facebook. Facebook.com/podcastoriginstories or follow me on Twitter @BrentJabbour. Here we go. I'm not going to waste too much more time. It's Brad Woodhouse, Democratic Operative from Protect Our care. Origin Stories: A Podcast About Politics and People, Episode three, here we go!Brent Jabbour:I don't know why, but you were in my building one time and I rode the elevator up with you. And, I have this little anxiety issue, where I can never remember somebody's name when I see them. It happens to me...Brad Woodhouse:That happens to a lot of people. Brent Jabbour:I don't want to be like: "Hey there big guy, I know you." Because I am sure you get that regularly, being somebody television. But, I also, I should know. I immediately got off the elevator and I said: "It was Brad Woodhouse. Damnit!"Brad Woodhouse:Man, that happens to everybody. That being on the spot. And you have that classic brain fart, they call it. Brent Jabbour:I also have this new thing where I've realized that you see somebody and you say hello to them and then you realize: "Oh, now I have to have a conversation with this person."Not that I want to be rude or anything. But, I just wanted to say hello. Brad Woodhouse:It's also that question of whether you make eye contact or not. If you make eye contact it's like: "Hey, hello, how are you?" And sometimes it's just better to not make eye contact. Brent Jabbour:So, you grew up in North Carolina. Your brother is the RNC chair of North Carolina?Brad Woodhouse:So, he's the Executive Director of the North Caroline Republican Party. I guess this is his second full cycle doing that. So, he's been there awhile. Brent Jabbour:Let's how you guys got to be. How did you become a key Democratic operative and he becomes a face of the Republican party in your home state? Brad Woodhouse:Well, the long-ago story for both of us, the origin story, is our parents. They were both very involved politically. They went into politics right out of college. They both worked in state government, in state politics. My father went on, he had a myriad of interests. He was Democratic operative back in the sixties and then he went later to work for Jesse Helms, so complete opposite of how he started. And, just as a citizen, he supported Ross Perot for president in 1992. So, he was kind of all over the map. But, he was very engaged politically. My mom was engaged politically. And, another thing was, they really forced us to be engaged politically and to pay a lot of attention to the news. I knew at a very early age who Walter Cronkite was, who Frank Reynolds was, Eric Sevareid, all of these anchors. The anchors for our local television, we took two newspapers a day, back when there was an afternoon newspaper delivered in Raleigh. So, it was a combination of politics and news. So, I think it was inevitable. My brother, originally he got a degree in journalism. Originally he was a television reporter doing all the types of things television reporters do. And eventually went on to become the public affairs director for the NBC affiliate in Raleigh. And, had the local version of Meet the Press. And, then from that, he left and went directly into politics. Ya know, when I graduated from college I didn't think I was going to go into politics. My first job was with Marriott as a management trainee. It was always in the back of my mind. I had majored in political science. I was watching the Democratic national convention in 1992, I was in Birmingham, AL, I was working for Marriott. And, I saw Bill Clinton's speech and I basically quit the next day and moved back to North Carolina and volunteered for a congressional campaign. Brent Jabbour:I think that is what the interesting thing about the world of politics is. If you're interested in it. You don't have to be a professional in the business in any way. I mean, you grew up in that realm, so you had that background. But, you can be interested in it and something like that can just inspire you to say i might give up the next six months of my life to go knock on doors, sleep in an office where you eat pizza 6 nights a week.So, was your brother always leaning conservative and you were always leaning (liberal)? Brad Woodhouse:That's what's interesting. When I was in college, Dallas was still in High School in North Carolina. Frankly, we weren't particularly close. You know, he did some of the same things in High School that I did. He acted, he did musicals, he was in show choir, and he had an interest in being out there and being a performer. And, that is one reason... I did a lot of that in high school and college. I was a theatre major in college originally. And, politics gives you an outlet for people who are not actually that talented in performing arts to be on the public stage in another venue. So, I wasn't really sure what his political leanings were when he was in high school and early in college. Then, when he got out of college, he was a television reporter, so he played it kind of straight. And, when he took over, he was the host of NBC 17's version of meet the press every sunday, and you began to see his political leanings started to come out. You could see he had this antipathy towards governent and government programs, and people who recieve government assistance, and one thing led to another.But, he was probably in his mid-twenties before I realized he was moving in that direction. And then it became stronger and stronger and stronger. And incidently, the same thing happened to me. I didn't feel real ideoligically inclined when I was in college. I didn't volunteer for campaigns, I wasn't involved politically. I was just as likely to be inspired by George H.W. Bush giving a speech as somebody else. It's kind of incredible, that speech I watched Bill Clinton give, just turned me on. I said I want to do politics, I want to do government, I want to do that type of work. And then all my families connections in North Carolina were on the Democratic side. So, I moved home, and the rest is kind of history. Brent Jabbour:I have a couple of things I want to hit on here. First, on the theatre major thing, what really drew you to theatre?Brad Woodhouse:Well look, I had at an early age had an interest in acting. Probably when I was in Junior High school, I asked my mom to sign me up for acting classes. I did improvisation training. And then, whenever there was a little thing to do, we had a 6th-grade sing-a-long, and they needed someone to play Rudolf and I say: "I want to do that." I just was drawn to it. Like a lot of kids, I thought I was going to be a movie actor. Then I became a Springsteen freak and I wanted to sing Springsteen at a school show. Now, I can't carry a tune. So, that was another reason I couldn't continue as a performance artist. I can't sing. So, I never got the chance to play Bruce Springsteen in High School. But, I was really drawn to it. I had some leading roles in theatre in High School and even in Raleigh Little Theatre, Peace College, I did some work. And, you know I had the opportunity to go to the University of South Carolina as a theatre major. I went to the University of South Carolina the day after I graduated from High School and immediatly started in a summer musical. So, I thought I was going to be an actor. Brent Jabbour:And, I think the question I was really going to ask here... Because I think I felt the same way, which was initially the reason I got into radio initially too, because I thought there could be some... I wanted people to hear my voice. Like you said, it's easy to go into the political or punditry world. Not that you don't need talent. People, by the way, underestimate the amount of talent that people like you have. The people you see on television everyday. Believe me, there are a lot of people who show up one time and don't make it because they don't know how to articulate a thought, they don't have any exuberance. You can see Brad Woodhouse on television for three minutes, and you get a pretty good understanding of who you are, your personality. You have that southern, North Carolina draw, that kind of draws you in a little bit.Also, the reason I came up with this idea is because I think there are a lot of people who see you for three minutes and they make an immediate snap judgement on you and they don't really get an idea of who you are, besides, sometimes I see this blowhard on television, not that you are a blowhard. So, you were inspired by Bill Clinton in 1992, and I think a lot of people in my generation, I'm 34, we got inspired by Obama probably in the same way to get politically active. And I think you can see the paralells between those two, because they motivated people to get out, they motivated people who you see getting involved now because they saw Obama give that speech or Bill Clinton accepting the nomination in 1992. Who is going to be the next person in the Democratic party to inspire the masses to get out and do something. Look, I have spent a lot of time re-litigating the 2016 campaign.Brent Jabbour:I've said it a million times, Hillary Clinton was probably the most qualified person to ever run for the office, but she just didn't know how to connect with the people that way. And, we as a Democratic party clearly need that because we can't seem to motivate people on good policy.Brad Woodhouse:Right, yeah. Well, look it's a good question. I don't think we have seen that moment yet, where we know who that next person is. Politics is all about timing. It could be that the next Democrat who wins the nomination and hopefully becomes president and hopefully denies Trump a second term, may not be that person. It may be the person who is just the best person to defeat Donald Trump. And that might be what inspires the masses in the country, on our side, and among right-thinking independents might be OK, we have to defeat Trump. This is the best person to defeat Trump. It could be that we have that. But, sometimes it skips a generation. You don't have a Bill Clinton or Barack Obama type politician in every election cycle. So, it remains to be seen. Look, I think some of the potential that we have on the bench... People like to say Democrats don't have a bench, you look at the number of really talented people thinking about running for office, either in politics or not in politics. It's really impressive. The bigger problem we have is we may have 20 people on stage at some point. But, Barack Obama we knew after that 2004 speech. It was almost inevitable that... maybe not inevitable that he was going to be President. But, inevitable that he was going to lead a cohort of Americans down some type of path towards change. Because he was so inspiring. He captured so many people's attention. And, the interesting thing about Obama of course, is that all of the lucky, I don't want to say luck he is a talented politician. But all of the breaks he got. He had a primary that fell his way when divorce records came out. He had a general election when more divorce records came out. Remember they had to import Alan Keyes from Maryland to even run against him in the Senate race in 2004. But that speech that he gave in 2004 you knew... He wasn't in Senate a day before people started to speculating when he would run for president. There are other people who have that same speculation around them. Senators who are in their first term for example. But we'll see. No one right now has quite captured that imagination. Brent Jabbour:I think that in that particular situation as well. You talk about these first-term Senators, Kamala Harris is who you are mostly referring to. Maybe Elizabeth Warren, but she is in her second term. Not that I want to downplay those women's roles, but the fact is, they don't have that Pizzaz that Obama had. Obama/Biden is the most charismatic two politicians that I can think of ever been near each other. I don't know if they really did... but they looked... Look, I'm a big optics guy. While I perceive the reality of what things are, I also spend a lot of time understanding most people just see things on the surface level. And, Presidential races are popularity contests. They aren't about who has the best policies, they are about who can whip up the most votes in America. And, I think that those two Senators I love them both very dearly, I love their politics, I just don't think they move the dial in a national election in the middle of the Country. You would think that Obama/Biden wouldn't, but Biden speaks directly to your heart so that helps. And, Obama said all the right things. He may not have been the best in acting as a president to some people on the left, however, he, in my opinion, he knew what to say at all times. I spend a lot of time, I was just thinking about this-this morning. I spend a lot of time pretending with other people on the left that I don't just love Obama and every moment of the 8 years he was president of the United States. Sure, there were some issues I didn't really care for, but the fact is, I can wipe all that away because he was charismatic, he won, and I think most of the time he did the right thing. Brad Woodhouse:Well, I think, he accomplished a lot. He inspired millions of people in this country. His election, obviously, in 2008 was as historic anything that has ever happened in this country politically. And almost anything that has happened in the country period. And he is such a popular ex-president. I think this charisma that he had with Biden, and the relationship they have it's real, it's true. I mean you think about the fact that they still do things together.When Bill Clinton and Al Gore left the White House, it may have been years before they spoke or did anything together. Cheney and Bush, these are business relationships in the White House generally. I think it was a real friendship, there was a real kinship there. I do think that Biden is an inspiring figure for a lot of reasons. His life story. The travails he's gone through. His son, his family. And bringing himself up by the bootstraps. But, I think we are blessed a number of great candidates and we just don't know until we see them. There are so many tests. Their announcement speech. Did they move the dial? Did they move the needle? Did they move people to cheer and tear up? And maybe we take too much stock in that. Look, I think the country might be better off if the person with the best policies did win. But that's not realistic. Policies get you through editorial board meetings. They don't get you elected. Getting elected is a combination of smart policies, but really articulation of the American people are and where you want them to go. A really forward vision. And, I think Barack Obama had that. And it may have been an idealistic vision. It may have been an almost unreasonable vision that the country could come together. Washington could clean up its act. But It's what people wanted at the time. And, it was a reaction to people's antipathy towards both big government and big business. And, he had an opportunity, in the campaign, to fuse those strands of populism and idealism together. Democrats will find that person again. Is it the 2020 cycle? It might be. The true test is not some persons performance at a hearing on Capitol Hill or one appearance on Meet the Press or CNN. It's going to be when they are out there on the hustings. Are they connecting with the American People? Are they meeting the American people where they are and where the American people want to go? I think we are going to have it in 2020. Is it Obama redux or Clinton redux? It might not be. But given where we see this president, where we see his numbers, we see where he is taking the country down this path of divisiveness and everything. I am not sure we are going to have to have Obama 2.0 to win in 2020.Brent Jabbour:The more you talk about this, the more I think if Joe wants to run, he has my full support. Because he does have the charisma. We'll get to see a lot of Obama. Which I always appreciate. But, also, he speaks to the heart of people in the middle of the country. And, I know we've talked about all of this so much since the election. And there are a lot of people on the left who say: "Stop calling them working-class Americans, what you mean is white people who are racists in the middle of the country." No that's not what I mean, I mean people who work for a living. It's easy for people in Washington D.C., who are Democratic operatives, to say: "Oh, you guys are just mad because it was a woman who ran." No, while I think there was a little of that, I actually had a union leader tell me: "Look, I'm around these guys every day, some of them just aren't going to vote for a woman." But we will grow out of that. I mean ten years ago, everybody would have said: "Look, nobody's gonna vote for a black guy." And he became the President of the United States. Look, Hillary Clinton had so much baggage from the Bill Clinton years. When I was a kid during the Bill Clinton years, I didn't know much about it. All I really knew was Hillary was a ball buster. That's not actually true, it's just the impression that you are given. And, sometimes perception is reality...Brad Woodhouse:The Clintons were interesting. Because there was this vicious cycle where they distrusted the press. The press distrusted them. It fed more and more distrust. And then when you put on top of it all of the made up scandals. Travelgate, made up. Whitewater, made up. All of these kinds of made up scandals. And there was no reservoir of goodwill for the Clintons to go to the press because of their distrust for the press and the press' distrust for them. And to get the fairest of hearings. And, I get the resentment that the Clintons have about that. If you look at one of their chief antagonists, who came around to them, David Brock later on. Think about how many things David Brock, funded by Richard Mellon Scaife and those folks, fed into the American distrust of the Clintons that was all phony. It was all made up. Troopergate, Whitewater, all this stuff. And then the President ultimately stumbles into the Monica Lewinsky thing, which is on him. But, there is no reservoir of goodwill with the press to help him out of that, even though he won in the end. And ended his presidency very popular. Hillary had to live with all of that mud, so to speak. Brent Jabbour:Did Obama get away from the whole distrust for the press and everything because he had African American press to go to. I mean, you would always see him on the Joe Madison show, or several other...Brad Woodhouse:There was a healthy bit of (distrust) between the Obama White House and the press. I think that is true of all White Houses. It is a balancing act. Reporters want access. Presidents want unfettered ability to deliver their message. And to be covered. And, you will have a lot of reporters who felt like there was a little bit of heavy-handed tactics from the campaign and the White House. And, they think they should have gotten more access. But, I think given the state of affairs in the Trump presidency, it's been like 20 days since Sara Sanders held an on-camera television briefing. The pendulum has swung so far. In retrospect... And look, I don't think the press ever really had any antipathy toward the President. I think they occasionally felt like his spokespeople, or others, or when I was at the DNC and I was vociferously defending the President and his policies. And occasionally I went over the line in taking on journalists that I felt like were being unfair. So, I think there is a little bit of that that goes on. I think by-and-large the press looks back now on the Obama years and feels like that they had it pretty good. Ya know, Josh Earnest and Jay Carney, all of those people who stood at that podium tried to be fair and represent the President they worked for, but also tried to help the press.And, you don't have that. There is no feeling that Sean Spicer before or Sara Sanders now is trying to help the American people or help the press understand what the President is thinking and what the President is trying to accomplish. They are trying to bully the press into not being critical of this president and not reporting accurately on this president. Brent Jabbour:I'll tell you what. The White House Press Briefings are an hour long campaign ad for Donald Trump. Which, technically any press briefing is such a thing. Like you said, she just attacks the press and all that does is feed into the base and those people who love Trump and say: "See, he's not going to be pushed around by the Washington elite, they're not going to let them lie to me." And they win. The Trump Administration, they win on a lot of different fronts. And right now, I'm concerned about the Democrats, and as we talked about that whole thing about who will pick up that mantle. Who is going to be the next candidate to really move the dial. I think we are going to have a hard time running against Trump. Because, he is going to be able to talk to those establishment Republicans who maybe they don't really care for the Stormy Daniels payoff and everything. But he is going to be able to say several things to them that is going to really work to his base and those people who really voted for him. Number one, he nominated two Supreme Court Justices.Brad Woodhouse:It's the holy grail for a lot of Republicans. Brent Jabbour:Any other president who does that. You could start four wars and your going back...Brad Woodhouse:The truth is, the Evangelicals they could live with Donald Trump sleeping with and paying off 25 porn stars as long as they get Supreme Court Justices that will overturn a woman's right to choose. They could care less about the President's morality. Brent Jabbour:And we are in trouble because I hope RBG can hold on. Because he could literally go on stage when he's running in 2020 and say: "She's not going to make it 4 years, so you better re-elect me." He's got that. You can hate tariffs and all the things he is doing on trade all you want, but working-class Americans, not just white Americans, I mean people who work for a living they see that and say whether it works or not, he tried. Something that the Obama administration never did, Clinton put in a bad trade deal. So it's easy for him to say that. Job numbers are still going up, which is a lot of work the Obama Administration did. And, he may inadvertently negotiate peace on the Korean Peninsula. Brad Woodhouse:Yeah, well that I think is a big if. The backdrop of all that is the Mueller Investigation. The backdrop of all that is still Manafort is getting ready to go on trial again. Some backdrop of all that 2020 discussion is what happens in 2018. Do the Democrats take back the house? Do they maybe take back the Senate? How do they handle that? Do they push for partisan impeachment? Do they just investigate, investigate, investigate and let Mueller finish what he is doing? I think the most interesting thing that I see that could be... Look, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama had horrific midterms. So, we shouldn't overread what happens in November. But, if you look at the polls that are coming out now, Trump's approval rating is down into the mid-to-high thirties. He's even losing his base in that regard. And, his approval rating in some of the reddest states is at 50 percent or below. Now, those are not states that we are going to go and grab those electoral votes in 2020. But, if he's having to chase reliably red states to guarantee those electoral votes in 2020 there is something going to be left on the sideline. Maybe it's Michigan, maybe it's Wisconsin, maybe it's Pennsylvania. Brent Jabbour:Oh Brad, let me tell you why you are over analyzing this. Because we did the exact same thing in 2016. We looked at the same exact situation, we said: "He's not doing enough in Florida that's going to be a Democratic win, he's not doing enough here, he's not doing enough there." Meanwhile, we didn't go to Michigan and Wisconsin. We lost those states and he still won Florida. Brad Woodhouse:I agree one hundred percent. I'm not in the camp that believes Demographics is destiny and we should just follow that path. Or, that the entire solution is in the white working class. It's crazy, it's nuts, Obama didn't build a single coalition to win in 2008 or 2012. Bill Clinton didn't either. You've got to build a coalition of people that see in their self-interest and their inspiration and in their forward-looking vision for the country something in a President that will inspire a Latina woman to vote in Tucson and a factory worker to vote in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. And, that's what we need. And, this either/or is the craziest discussion. It's also this either the Bernie side or the Clinton side. There is no Bernie side or Clinton side. Right now Clinton isn't running for president, Bernie's not running for President yet. If allow that inner seam warfare to continue then Donald Trump could get elected to a second term.Brent Jabbour:I think what you talk about with that Bernie/Hillary divide. And, I think there is a Bernie Sanders wing of the party, and there is a little wing of the party that is even further left than Bernie. And, i think the problem is... And, I'm going to call you an establishment type, I hope that doesn't offend you. Because I would say I'm a little left of establishment although there were many times when I lived in North Dakota running Ed's radio show for many years and I thought I was as progressive as you get then I moved to D.C. and I realized I may be center-left. But, I think that the people on the establishment side are doing as much damage as the people on the far left Bernie-side are to this conversation. Because, those establishment people are saying: "We're not going to let you run our party." Which means: "We're not going to let you be part of our party. We aren't going to appease you in any way." And there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes at the DNC which I don't want to talk about right now. It's just some nuanced nonsense. But, I just think there is a mutual hatred on both sides of this party for those people. I don't know what the solution in 2018 and 2020 is to kind of bring those two sides together. Brad Woodhouse:Well, first thing in 2018 is to focus on the Republicans. It is not to have an all-out war between various factions of the Democratic party. We've had primaries, and there have been a number of Democratic primaries where single payer was the issue. And single payer advocates won. And there have been other primaries where the single-payer advocate lost. And there are other issues like that that have played out in Primaries. We are almost done with Primary season. What we need to focus on is Republicans, they're in charge. And we need to focus on Republicans. And I say Republicans to the exclusion of Trump. Trump is going to be covered every single day. Trump is making negative news for himself and Republicans every single day. On Twitter, Bob Mueller is driving Trump news, Stormy Daniels is driving Trump news. Democrats need to focus on their Republican opponents and Republican Governance. If you look, people don't like the way Republicans have governed in Congress. They don't like what they did on healthcare. The tax bill is unpopular. Can you imagine? How fucked up are you as a party if you pass a tax bill, a tax cut and it's unpopular. I mean, Republicans couldn't sell Kool-Aid to children if they can't sell a tax cut to the American people. I think those are the things we need to focus on. Inevitably after this election, probably days after this election, we're going to start having a conversation as a party about what our priorities are. And you know what? Good. We'll have that fight. We'll have that argument. It will play out in the 2020 primary for President and maybe it will create a divide that we can't bridge but maybe we will have that person who can talk to both sides. This is not a choice between people who supported Hillary Clinton or people supported Bernie Sanders. In 2020 it's going to be about who can best deny Donald Trump a second term. Brent Jabbour:You made me think because I don't believe there is a "Blue Wave." I don't buy it for a couple of reasons. One, there aren't enough Senate seats up. I think Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota is in trouble. I think Kevin Cramer can win that seat. I've talked about that a lot, I don't know why. It's the one that really strikes me as the one that will probably go Republican. But I think we will get the Nevada seat. Brad Woodhouse:I'll say this. We've done a lot of work with her and her office. And, she is making healthcare the number one issue in that race. She's a cancer survivor. Pre-existing conditions has exploded as an issue on the campaign trail because the Trump administration decided to weigh-in in favor of this lawsuit in Texas that would get rid of all those protections for people. I'll predict on this podcast that she does win. And, I think she'll win because Kevin Cramer can't explain what he would do to make people's lives better, particularly on health care. And I think she can. But, I'm with you in this respect. A blue wave in the Senate is going to be hard because of the map. The truth is we could very well find ourselves with about the same math as we have now. They could knock a Democrat or two. I think the numbers are showing that is going to be increasingly difficult. The President is going to be a drag, even in some of these red states. But, they could knock off a Democrat or two. But, I think there is a good chance that we win Nevada. And that we win either Arizona or Tennessee. But, the map is daunting. We are defending far more seats. But, I think it will be your definition of a wave. If we sweep out 50 Republicans in the House or 40 Republicans in the House and take some state legislative seats, chambers that we don't have, in advance of redistricting. I mean, I feel pretty good about that. Brent Jabbour:Do Democrats not realize that when they talk about the Blue Wave in the House, do they not understand what Gerrymandering is and what has been done to the map in most states. And I'm glad you mentioned House seats. Becaue, I was going to mention that as well. You know, I have strangely spoke with more Republicans than I have Liberals as I have been recording this thing, more scheduling issues than anything. And, a lot of them say, we are really working in the State Houses because we saw the Democrats doing that. And now we're doing better. Democrats aren't focused on those State Houses. We're not winning those State Houses. You've seen what happened, especially since 2010. We're not doing enough. We need to win those legislatures becuase we need to redraw those lines. Brad Woodhouse:There has been a cascading effect of Gerrymandering. People think of Gerrymandering as the U.S. House of Representatives. Remember, Legislative seats, State Senate seats, and it all ladders up. It is not just about winning. We need to win the House. We need to have Democrats in the House be a check on this President, investigate this President, push strong Democratic policies, even if we have a Republican Senate and a Republican President that won't adopt them. We do need to have an agenda going into 2020. Democrats are never going to maintain power in Congress for long if we don't get a hold of these state legislative chambers. Remember, we have a very undemocratic United States Senate. We've got states, where two Republican Senators represent about as many people as a member of Congress does in a Congressional district. Yet, they have as much power in the Senate as two Democrats who represent 40 million people in California. That's the constitution, that's how the Senate is going to be elected, and how it's going to be portioned. So we can do that in the House. We can do that by winning State Legislative chambers and fighting every bit of redistricting legally, legislatively, administratively, anyway we can to make sure we get a better result in this next reapportionment. Brent Jabbour:I just feel... I'm getting jaded even in the middle of my own...Brad Woodhouse:Well look, there is less going on than we'd like, but there is more going on than has been. We have the Holder/Obama group that is doing legislative redistricting. They have a legal strategy, they have a legislative strategy, they have an electoral strategy. That group, along with the DLCC, along with the work that we're doing. Remember, if we win the House of Representatives a lot of those victories are going to sweep in a lot of people below them. Because the turnout machines for some of these congressional races will far exceed anything that a state legislative or State Senate candidate can do. So, we can't count on that. We have to run races all the way down, down to the ZooKeeper level. We need to elect up and down the ballot. But, there is more going to affect the outcome of State Legislative chambers than we've seen in the past. Brent Jabbour:I just think that we need to get to talk about that. I feel like we try to trick people into doing what we need to do. When, if we simply just said: Hey Democrats in Georgia, in North Carolina, in any state that has a purple opportunity. We can say, hey Democrats there, just so you understand we need you to vote, not just because you love this candidate or you love that candidate. We need you to vote because we need to win, and we need to win this State House so we can make this work for everybody. We say "turn out the vote" and almost try to shame people into voting. Not just we, everybody does. There is no explanation of what's going on most of the time. And, normal people do not have an understanding, normal people, but people who are out there...Brad Woodhouse:They're Busy... People running their lives, they don't pay attention to this every day. And, the thing that you're suggesting is exactly right. We need to constantly have a civics lesson with the American people, particularly those we want to come vote for us, about political power. And, I think for too long Democrats across the country felt like political power resided in the presidency. Ask Bill Clinton after 1994 or Barack Obama after 2010. There is a whole lot of political power that resides in Congress, and those things bubble up from redistricting. From districts that are now more favorable to Republicans. You're right. One of the biggest headwinds against Democrats is the actual districts that we're running in. There are those districts that Hillary Clinton won in 2016. There are enough of them, if you turned every single one of them, to win a bare majority. You want a governing majority. But, you're right, we need a civics lesson to the American people. It is as important for Democrats to control the state legislature in Georgia as it is to control the House of Representatives in Washington. Because they all flow one to the other. Brent Jabbour:Also, the Democrats need to understand 51 Senators ain't going to win you anything. Number one, Republicans will obstruct, we saw that during the Obama administration. Essentially, Mitch McConnell should have been elected President of the United States because he is the one that did the most for Republicans over the last 8 years of his presidency. And, also, we can't always count on Democrats. It's funny, Republicans are now starting to face that now in the House with the Freedom Caucus and they can hold them hostage. Democrats don't do it as heavy-handed. But there are, it's a wide swath of a party, they don't fall in line all the time. So you're going to have people in red states, you know in the Senate it is the Joe Manchin, Heidi Heitkamp, Donnelly, Tester, that you will always have to worry about because they have to worry constituents who are constituents in a red state for the most part. Brad Woodhouse:That's exactly right. Now, look, let's be clear, I'll take 51 Democrats in the Senate over 51 Republican Seats in the Senate any day. The biggest impediment to progress in the event we take back the House and the Senate is obviously a Republican administration. This is looking way ahead. But, if you assume we took back the House and the Senate. You know, Trump's a deal maker. There are a lot of Democrats that will dilute themselves into the notion that they can go make deals with Trump. And, I think Trump is an immoral, illegitimate President. And fuck making deals with that guy. We would not need to help him get re-elected by cutting deals that may be in our favor in the short term and risk that long-term. Obviously, if you take back the House and the Senate you do have to cut some deals because you have to fund the military and keep the government open. Brent Jabbour:While I agree with you to a certain extent about screw that guy why would I want to help him, actually I'm sorry, I can say it. Fuck that guy, I don't want to help him. I don't want you to get the idea that I'm not with you here. But, I think there has to be some sort of governance. Brad Woodhouse:No doubt. But we should just impose our will on him instead of the other way around.Brent Jabbour:Right. The Democrats can give themselves trapped into giving him the wall or something. Brad Woodhouse:Right, give him the wall in exchange for something else. And, I mean that's not the approach we should take.Brent Jabbour:I'd like to go back to you for just a little bit before we wrap up for the hour. So, when you left your job at Marriott and were inspired by President Clinton. What was that road like from knocking on doors to...Brad Woodhouse:I was really fortunate because my parents had been involved in politics and state government since they were in college. I was fortunate, they had some really good people for me to lean on in getting a foot in the door. Look, anybody can make it in politics if they are willing to really gut it out. It helps to know people. The first thing that I did actually. I don't remember my parents having any influence on this. I volunteered for a congressional campaign. David Price was running for re-election in 1992. I got home, it was too late to get involved in the Presidential race, so I volunteered for David Price. He was already in Congress, he had a staff. He didn't have anything for me when it was all over with. So, that same year, Jim Hunt was elected again to his third term, non-consecutive, as governor of North Carolina. My parents knew Hunt, they had been in campaigns with Hunt, but also they knew a very influential State Senator who had a lot of influence over the Governor-elect's inauguration and transition. And, one thing led to another, and I worked in his administration. And, after he had served that first term, and was re-elected for a second, I had a chance to come to Washington and work for Congressman Bob Ethridge who spent seven terms here. Went back in 2001 to work in a Senate race. Erskin Boles ran for United States Senate against Liddy Dole, he lost, but I had the opportunity to succeed a friend of mine who had been Bob Ethridge's press secretary at the DSCC, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Robert Gibbs had been in Ethridge's office, he'd gone on to work on Senate campaigns. Eventually, he made it to the DSCC. He recruited me to do my stint in North Carolina in 02. And then in 03-04 I succeeded him at the DSCC and went on from there. Brent Jabbour:What's it like being seen as a surrogate for the sitting President. Brad Woodhouse:It was a rush. So, I came kind of late in 08 to the presidential game. My wife was pregnant in 2007 when Obama started to run. Gibbs was always trying to get me to go to the campaign. He tried to get me to go to Iowa. Tried to get me to come to Chicago. And, I was running an organization, Americans United For Change at the time. A liberal organization. Biggest claim to fame early on was stopping the President's effort to privatize Social Security. So, I was running this. I was the President of it. It was a multi-million dollar thing. We were neutral, obviously, in the primary. My wife was pregnant. I could never get on the campaign. If I had had an opportunity to go work on the Presidential campaign during the primary itself, I would have worked for Obama. And, after he got the nomination, they asked me to come run the rapid response communications efforts over at the DNC on behalf of the campaign during the general election against John McCain. I got over there and I was nuts and bolts. I was hiring people, getting people out in the field, organizing bus tours, crafting web videos, doing all of the rapid response thing that the DNC is involved in, in a really robust way. And then, somebody asked me one day to go on television. And I was like, What? And, for all I know it could have been Ed Schultz's show, I'm sure it was probably MSNBC. So, it was such a rush. And you start doing it and you don't screw it up. I remember some of the moments. It was 2008, I was on MSNBC, probably with Alex Witt on Sunday morning. And the news broke that Colin Powel was going to endorse Obama. Of course, he was going on Meet the Press to announce it. But, I was just by happenstance the first Obama campaign surrogate on TV to react to it and that was a rush. And then at the end, I didn't know this until later. This is an interesting story, I've never even relayed. I believe it's true, but I heard it second hand. But, the Obama campaign stopped putting any of its surrogates on Fox. And, all of a sudden, I noticed I was doing Fox a lot. Karen Finney, who was Communications Director at the DNC at the time, we were like going down to the studio at the DNC doing Fox and Friends, Shep Smith, we were doing all of the Fox shows. Like, why are we doing so much Fox?We found out after the election, that the Obama campaign just made a decision that they were being so unfairly portrayed on Fox that they just weren't going to do it those last few weeks. That was a whole other thing where you got to be out there and have that kind of platform to yourself as a surrogate. So, there is the rush part of it, which is probably why I was in Theatre, to begin with. The kind of rush you get from being in front of an audience getting kind of instant feedback. And, the other part of it, and this kind of went on as I was in the DNC, and later working for the re-elect in 2012 is you take a lot of crap. I mean, you take a lot of crap. It's also very stressful too. It's very stressful to go on television and know that one misspoken word, one mangled word-salad could hurt the President or hurt the President's chances. Fortunately, I don't think I ever screwed up that badly. But, you do get a lot of incoming. Especially, I got on Twitter in 2010 and just getting killed by these conservatives, Obama haters. Brent Jabbour:It's funny because I have friends who go on Fox and go on a lot of other networks too. But, they go on Fox and they will say I go on MS, I go on CNN, they do some international news here and there. And Honestly, I get positive reaction. And, they are Democrats. And they will go do a Fox hit with Tucker Carleson and they say their voicemail will explode, their office email will get destroyed, their Twitter is just the nastiest, most disgusting things. And just because I am a liberal. And they have told me, I don't mind, Tucker treats me well on the air, but I get hammered by these crazies who are just followers of his. Brad Woodhouse:And you get it. During the height of the election season. I saw less of this in 08 because I wasn't on the campaign trail. But in 2012 and then in 2016 I was running Correct the Record which was a Super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton. I was appearing, basically, as a surrogate, or talker on her behalf. And, that went off the rails. Because all of a sudden, it was nothing like the period where I was at the DNC for Obama's first term, or during the re-elect. I mean, the level of nastiness... And then you know supporters of Trump on 4Chan put all of our addresses out from the FEC report. Our home addresses, our phone numbers. Of course, my phone number was in Wikileaks. And then, you start to really get blown up. So, then, you have these moments where you ask: Is it all worth it? Fuck yeah, it's worth it. I mean I've had death threats on my voicemail. "I wish you would die, and you should crawl off and die." That type of thing. It kind of shakes you up at first. But then you are like fuck this. It's a voicemail. Brent Jabbour:When do you start taking that death threat seriously? I mean, I know people call and they say... They will word it vaguely like: "You should die."Brad Woodhouse:I think you always want to take that type of stuff seriously. Where I think people got a little shook up in 2016 in particular... Never in 2012, I never felt like... I had nasty people on Twitter and voicemail, but never felt unsafe. In 2016, at Correct the Record, we had people doing things to just shake up the staff, because we were so vociferously supporting Hillary Clinton. They would send... You know you can order from the U.S. Postal Service boxes to be delivered to your house and then you paid for them. Well, we had people just getting massive delivery of these boxes to their home. And, it was all meant to freak them out. We had people getting Pizza deliveries to their house. We had a woman who lived out in Maryland who had a nasty note left on her doorstoop. So, some crazy ass person came to her house and left a note. I don't know what the tradition was. I don't know why everytime someone got paid in a campaign their home address had to be on the FEC report, so we just paid people at the office. Of course, it was out there by then. And we took people's names off the FEC report. We took people's names off the website unless it had to be on there. We tried not to release people's cell phone numbers widely to the press unless it was a spokesperson who had to be out there. And we at Correct the Record, at the building on Massachusetts, we hired extra security during the election. We put up extra firewalls for internet security. We know that during that period of time the hacking was going on at the DNC and of John Podesta's emails that there were attempted hackings over there. We don't know the source. But, we can assume, if all this other stuff was going on, that those hackings were coming from the same source. 2016 did more to shake me up, so to speak than 2008 or 2012. The level of nastiness, intrusion, and personal attacks... And then these tactics of things coming to your physical home. Never to mind. This is interesting... This strategy was even discussed on 4Chan, go after the junior people. The senior people have been through this, they know how to handle this. Go after the junior people, freak them out, make them not come into work, disrupt their activity. It was really insidious. Brent Jabbour:Do you expect that to continue. Not just with Trump, but as we move on. I mean, now that people have seen these dirty tactics. Look, probably not the first people in political history to order a bunch of pizzas to a campaign headquarters.Brad Woodhouse:These were going to people's homes. So the signal there is that hey, we have your home address. But, I don't see any end to the level of nastiness of the extremes on both sides. I don't see any end of the nastiness coming from the sitting President of the United States. He got elected dividing the country against itself. He got elected playing the race card, the sex card, everything. So, I have no doubt that that's going to continue. I'm not going to bullshit you and say "oh, I think it will get better." I just don't. I just think we are in a period here where we are essentially in political warfare and it's over the future of... It's not over the future of the country like the direction we will take, whether we have tax cuts or not. It's kind of over the future of our democratic institutions. I mean you have a President who is saying the FBI should investigate someone who submitted a fucking OpEd to the New York Times. It's a police state he wants. And, the people who support him... If the police state defends their interest, particularly what they believe is their birthright for the country to be more like them, and more like the way they look and the way they talk, than the diverse nation that we really are. Then they are going to live with that. And, it's going to be an existential fight. So, I think it's going to stay as nasty as it is. The hope on our side is... I like to believe that when they go low, we aim high. Michele Obama's famous phrase. I would like to believe we can do that and win. I do think, whoever is our candidate in 2020, should not try to out-Trump Trump. We need to be tough on Trump, but we can not divide and win. We have to put together a coalition and win. We can't divide and win. Brent Jabbour:I think we will wrap it right there. I always try to wrap on a solid moment and that one was dire and scary so, we will keep it there. Brad, did you have fun? Brad Woodhouse:Yeah, this was great. And, I'm thrilled. This might be my first podcast. Brent Jabbour:I don't know why I ask everyone if they had fun. Because that is the most important thing.Brad Woodhouse:No, it's great. I enjoy it. I look forward to hearing it and sharing it and lifting it up.Brent Jabbour:Thank you so much, Brad Woodhouse.