Podcast appearances and mentions of tom johnstone

Today's show includes Ditching based Annabel Thorpe talking about her historical fiction set in Italy and how her work as a travel journalist has informed her writing.  Judy Upton discusses her Sussex based mystery Series. Tom Johnstone talks about how he uses Brighton's unseen history to write short fiction. Sam at Brighton Waterstones talks about their jam-packed event programme in April and May and  Anna Jefferson from New Writing South is back to discuss their Publishing Industry Day which is a must go-to for all aspiring authors in Sussex. 

L'Europe, qui ambitionne de rivaliser avec la Chine dans la course aux véhicules électriques, fait face à un revers majeur. La société suédoise Northvolt, fleuron européen des batteries, vient d'annoncer son placement sous la protection de la loi américaine sur les faillites. Northvolt, déjà fragilisé après l'abandon de son usine à Skelleftea, affiche aujourd'hui des chiffres préoccupants : une dette colossale de 5,84 milliards de dollars et seulement 30 millions de liquidités, insuffisants pour tenir une semaine d'activité. Cette situation critique a conduit Peter Carlsson, PDG de l'entreprise, à démissionner, tout en précisant qu'il faudrait entre 1 et 1,2 milliard de dollars pour espérer relancer l'activité.Malgré cette crise, Northvolt ne baisse pas les bras. L'entreprise envisage une restructuration d'ici le premier trimestre 2025 et compte examiner des propositions d'investissement pour poursuivre son ambition de bâtir une industrie européenne des batteries. « Cette étape décisive permettra à Northvolt de répondre à la demande croissante en électrification des véhicules, malgré les défis actuels », a déclaré Tom Johnstone, directeur intérimaire du conseil d'administration. Pour l'Europe, cette annonce est un coup dur dans un secteur où la dépendance aux géants chinois, comme CATL et BYD, reste forte. Le Vieux Continent peine à établir une base industrielle solide face à une concurrence chinoise déjà bien implantée et bénéficiant de coûts de production plus bas. Alors que le marché des véhicules électriques explose, ce revers soulève des questions cruciales sur l'autonomie industrielle de l'Europe et sa capacité à tenir tête à ses rivaux asiatiques dans la transition énergétique. Les prochains mois seront décisifs pour Northvolt et, par extension, pour l'avenir de la filière européenne des batteries. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Written by: Squidmanescape *** Story link: https://creepypasta.fandom.com/wiki/Nothing_Helps Content is available under CC BY-SA *** The Shadow Man *** Written by: Rhyan Pike and Narrated by: Cole Burkhardt *** Content Warning: Gun Violence *** Coulrophilia Written by: Tom Johnstone and Narrated by: Jimmy Ferrer *** Content warning: Clown *** My house is empty. But my friend insists someone is here.  *** Written by: Quincy Lee and Narrated by: Heather Thomas *** Support the show at patreon.com/creepypod *** Sound design by: Pacific Obadiah *** Title music by: Alex Aldea Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Byck talks about his new documentary series, Roots so Deep - 0'40'' John Gilliland talks about the ARC Zero project - 13'56'' Tom Johnstone from the Usk Catchment Partnership talks about giving nature a voice - 27'17'' Sarah-Jane Laing from Scottish Land & Estates talks about Scottish land reform - 41'22'' Robert Hindle from Rural Solutions on biodiversity net gain - 53'30'' --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmgate/message

This week on the blog, a podcast interview with Noah Diamond and Jim Cunningham, talking about the pleasures and perils of playing Groucho Marx.LINKSA Free Film Book for You: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cq23xyyt12Another Free Film Book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/x3jn3emga6Fast, Cheap Film Website: https://www.fastcheapfilm.com/Noah Diamond website: https://www.noahdiamond.com/“Gimme a Thrill: The Story Of "I'll Say She Is," The Lost Marx Brothers Musical” -- https://tinyurl.com/28ftau5eEli Marks Website: https://www.elimarksmysteries.com/Albert's Bridge Books Website: https://www.albertsbridgebooks.com/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BehindthePageTheEliMarksPodcast***Noah Diamond Transcript JOHNLet's go back to the beginning. We'll start with Noah and then go to Jim. What's your earliest memory of Groucho Marx or the Marx Brothers? NOAHWell, for me, it started in a kind of roundabout way, when I was a very little kid. Before I could even read, I was really interested in books. And I had my collection of Dr. Seuss, and all the books that would be read to me. But what I really liked to do was go downstairs where my parents had, in the living room, bookshelves lining the walls. And their books were really interesting to me. I just knew there were secrets there, you know? They had like big art books and books of poetry and maybe my first experiences with words were looking at the spines of the books in the living room. And one of the books they happen to have was then fairly recent book, Joe Adamson's Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Sometimes Zeppo, which is, I think most Marx Brothers fans would say it's the best loved book about them, certainly and I think the best written. That book came out in 1973. So, it's 50 years old this year and for some reason, as a tiny kid, that was a book that I took off the shelf. It was interesting that it had silver lettering on the spine and little icons, a harp, and what I would come later to recognize as a Chico hat. “Oh, look, this is interesting.” And I started looking through it, and I saw all these pictures. And the photographs of the Marx Brothers were just something to grapple with and it seemed a little familiar to me. My world was the Muppets and Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak. The Marx Brothers appeared in these photographs, like there was some continuity there and I also found them a little scary. Groucho in particular, that's quite a face for a child to reckon with. So, that was a book that I looked at a lot when I was just little more than a baby. I wouldn't really see the Marx Brothers in their movies until I was 12. Partly that's because, I'm just old enough to have had a childhood where it wasn't so easy to find old movies. And I sort of had to wait for home video to come along. And when it first came along, it's not like all 13 Marx brothers' movies were at the local Blockbuster.It was that that journey, that constant searching for things that characterized life in the analog world. So, it was very gradual in between those two times.Rather than blow your whole episode on this answer: in between the very little boy looking at pictures in Joe Adamson's book, and the 12-year-old finally, like seeing Duck Soup, and a Night at the Opera on video, there were many years where the Marx Brothers always seemed to be right around the corner. I would encounter them in Mad Magazine, or adults I knew might refer to them. And I sort of came to understand that the nose and moustache and glasses had something to do with Groucho. I was aware of them as a kind of vapor increasingly during those, I guess, nine or ten years between discovering the book and seeing the films. JOHNJim, how about you? Where did you first encounter them? JIM I was an enormous and still am a Laurel and Hardy fan. There was a local television show here in the Twin Cities where I live on Sunday mornings, hosted by a former television child's television host named John Gallos who played Clancy the Cop. And so I came to the Marx Brothers, kind of grudgingly because I was such an enormous and still am Laurel and Hardy fan, that I poo pooed the Marx Brothers for many, many years. I started watching Laurel and Hardy as a little kid. I mean, 7, 8, 9 years old. Every Sunday morning, I would rush home from church and plop down in front of the TV to watch Laurel and Hardy. They were sort of my comedic touchstones, if you will. And then the Marx Brothers were kind of off to the side for me. And I went to the Uptown Theater, John, here in the Minneapolis area … JOHN You crossed the river from St. Paul and came to Minneapolis, you must have really been interested. JIMOh, I only go across the river for work. This was a point where I was not working yet. And I saw a Night at the Opera and you know, was convulsed and then devoured everything I could get my hands on after that. The Marx Brothers were eye opening for me, just in terms of oh my gosh, this whole thing is so different. I was reading in your book that Frank Ferrante said “I was raised by Catholic nuns and I wanted to sort of do to the Catholic nuns would Groucho would do to Margaret Dumont.” And I was like, well, that's exactly right. Because I too was raised by Catholic nuns, and that sort of energy was really attractive to me as a sophomore in high school. And so I fell in love with them. And then, you know, anything I could get my hands on, I watched and read and loved them to this day. I still love Laurel and Hardy quite a bit too. JOHNOkay. Noah, this is just my own experience and I'm wondering if you guys have had the same thing: that entering the world of the Marx Brothers was actually a gateway to a whole bunch of other interesting stuff. I mean, you get into the Algonquin table, you get Benchley, and Perlman and into other plays of Kaufman. And you know, you're reading Moss Hart, and all sudden you look at the New Yorker, because, you know, he was there. I mean, did you find that it sort of was a spider web? NOAH No doubt about it. Yeah, that's very true. It's learning about them biographically and the times they lived in, the circles they traveled in; and partly it's in order to understand the references in their films. That's one of the great things about sophisticated verbal comedy: it's an education, and particularly if you're a kid. So, yes, through comedy and show business in general and the Marx Brothers in particular, I learned, I hesitate to say this, but probably just about everything else I know from following tributaries from the Marx Brothers. JOHNDo you remember the first time you performed as Groucho? NOAHThe first time I played Groucho in front of an audience was in a talent show, a school talent show in, I think seventh grade. I performed with my brother and sister as Harpo and Chico. They're both a little younger than me and by the time we became the Marx Brothers, they were so accustomed to involuntary service in my stock company. They were veterans by that time, they had done living room productions of Fiddler on the Roof where they had to play everyone but Tevya. And we did the contract routine from A Night at the Opera, with a little bit of Harpo stuff thrown in. JOHNOkay. Fantastic. Jim, how about you: first time as Groucho in front of an audience? JIM The first time in front of an audience as Groucho was really the first time I played Groucho. Just as I have a deep and abiding love and respect for the art of magic (and want to see it, want to read about it), I don't want to perform it. Because it is a thing in to its unto itself and if you do it poorly, it's horrible. So, I love to see it. I just don't love to perform it. And I felt the same way about Groucho. So, I went kind of kicking and screaming, to a staged reading of The Coconuts that Illusion Theater did. We really just carried our scripts because there was just a couple three rehearsals, but we read the whole thing and sang some of the stuff that was in it. And then that morphed from there into an actual production of The Coconuts and we did it both at the illusion theater in Minneapolis, and then it moved to the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. When the Marx Brothers performed there, I think it was called The World theatre. So, I love that kind of thing. I love standing where Wyatt Earp stood or standing where William Shakespeare stood. And so, to be doing a play that Groucho did on a stage that Groucho did it. I should have gotten out of the business right then. I should have said it, I've done it. What's left? JOHNExcellent stories. Noah, have you ever done The Coconuts or Animal Crackers? NOAHI haven't done The Coconuts. I would love to. Animal Crackers … One of the subsequent childhood Groucho appearances was when I was 14 years old. I had a relationship with this community theater. At this point, I was living in South Florida. I spent the first part of my life in Connecticut, and then lived in South Florida when I was a teenager and New York since I grew up. And this was in the Florida years. There was a local theater in a town called Coral Springs, it's not there anymore, but it was called Opus Playhouse. And it was a great place that helped me a lot and gave me a chance to put on shows and learn how to do things. And I just wanted to do Animal Crackers. So, I did a bootleg production completely unauthorized. I didn't even have the script. I just wrote the movie down line by line to have a script of Animal Crackers. And so I've sort of done it. But you know, I really shouldn't put that on my resume as I was 14 and... JIMIt counts for me. Anybody who's willing, as a 14-year-old, to go line by line through a movie and write it down, you did the show in my book. NOAH That just shows the desperate measures we had to take in those days. There was no internet. Little kids writing down movies, you know? JIM Exactly. JOHNIt's charming. It's absolutely charming. So, what is it Noah that draws you to play Groucho? What is it about that guy? NOAH Yeah, what is it? I know, it's funny. ‘What is it about Groucho' is a question we can grapple with forever, even aside from the question of why try to be him? I think one thing that definitely true is that as soon as I saw the Marx Brothers and heard his voice and watched him moving around and interacting, the urge to be him, or at least to behave like him, was immediate. I mean, it was right there. Now, I was already a kid who was a little ham and a performer and would be inclined to find my role in anything, anyway. But nothing, no character other than myself, ever grabbed me the way Groucho did or ever has, really. And I think part of it is what you mentioned, Jim, that Frank Ferrante has said, part of it is the instinct to rebel against authority. And that's unquestionably part of the Marx Brothers act, and a big part of the Marx Brothers appeal I think to kids. But I think it's a little more like watching a great violin player and deciding you want to play the violin. It just seemed to me that, as far as embodying a character and getting laughs and singing songs, nobody ever did it like him. Nobody ever seemed to be speaking directly to my sense of humor and my sensibility. I just wanted to talk in that voice. I wanted to play that instrument. JOHNJIM, what about you? JIM Nothing. Really, truthfully, I did not want to do it. I still don't want to do it. But I would do it again tomorrow, if somebody asked.I think trying to find your way to entertain an audience through somebody else is tricky for me. I'm better at playing me than I am at playing anybody else. And so the desire to play Groucho, I have sort of put it inside me, and I have an eye on it all the time. I use Groucho's sensibility without the grease paint, and I'd like to believe that I do. I'm certainly not in Groucho's league. Laurence Olivier said it: steal from everybody, and no one will know. And so I have, but the desire to put on the grease paint and wear the frock coat is akin to me saying, I want to do a magic show. I just I love to go to a magic show. I love to watch a Marx Brothers movie. But I'm really kicking and screaming to play him again, because the mantle is so huge and heavy and I don't think that I'm particularly serviceable as GrouchoIt wasn't until we were halfway through the run of The Coconuts when a light bulb went off in the dressing room, while I was putting on the makeup: there's a difference between being faithful to the script of The Coconuts and what we learned, and being faithful to the Marx Brothers sensibilities, if that makes sense. There's the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law.About halfway through that run, I started doing things that I felt were more attune to the spirit of the Marx Brothers, then the letter of the script. So, I was calling other actors onto the stage. I was going out into the audience, I took a guy out and put him in a cab one night. That sort of anarchy that people talk about when you read about the Marx Brothers in their heyday, about Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin in their heyday: I don't know what's going to happen and I want to be there because of that.And for all I know, it was the exact same show night after night after night, and they just gave the impression that it was crazy. But that idea for me still percolates. This the idea of, am I creating a museum piece or am I trying to, in some way, channel that anarchy for an audience? The other show that I do that has some relevance here is we do a production of It's a Wonderful Life, at Christmas time, as a live radio play. And that too: what am I doing? Are we trying to capture the movie or are we creating something different? So, finding that sort of craziness is what I was most intrigued by and still am. NOAH There's not a lot of roles like that. If you're playing one of the Marx Brothers in Coconuts or Animal Crackers, or I'll Say She Is, it's not the same as playing Groucho Marx in a biographical piece about his life. Nor is it like playing Sherlock Holmes, a very familiar character, where there is room to make it your own. I suppose people have done that with Groucho, too. But generally, if you're in a production of one of the Marx Brothers shows, the assignment is to try to make the audience feel like, if they squint, maybe they're watching the Marx Brothers. JOHN Noah, when you tackled the formidable and important task of recreating, resurrecting, bringing back to life, I'll Say She Is, were you having that same sort of thing Jim was talking about? Balancing the reality of what may have happened against you don't really know for sure and the spirit of it? How did you approach it? But first, why did you pick that show? And then how did you bring it back to life? JIMCan I back up? Because the three of us at this table are enormous Marx Brothers fans. So, if you say I'll Say She Is, we have a frame of reference. But people listening to this may go, ‘what the hell is I'll Say She Is?' So, can you start with that? Can you start with what is I'll Say She Is and how did you come to it, because I think for the layman who's not a huge Marx Brothers fan, they don't even know what we're talking about. NOAH Yes, absolutely. In a nutshell, the Marx Brothers, although primarily remembered for their movies, were already halfway through their career by the time they ever made a film. Most of their lives were spent on stage. They had a long period in vaudeville, and then in the 20s, they became Broadway stars. And that was really the beginning of the Marx Brothers as phenomenon we would recognize. They did three Broadway musicals. The first was I'll Say She Is, a thinly plotted revue, and the second was The Coconuts, and the third was Animal Crackers. By the time they were making talkies, they had these two very prestigious vehicles, Coconuts, and Animal Crackers, written by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Riskin, with scores by accomplished composers, Irving Berlin and Kalmer and Ruby. And there was no question but that those would be the first two films.And as a result, I'll Say She Is just kind of faded into history. It was the show they'd never made it into a movie and no script survived or at least no complete, intact script survived. So, if you were a kid like all the Marx maniacs out there, reading every book you can get your hands on and learning everything you could about the Marx Brothers, I'll Say She Is just had a sort of intrigue about it. What was that show? Everyone knew from those books that the highlight of the show was the Napoleon scene in which Groucho played Napoleon and the other brothers played the various consorts of Josephine, who are always materializing every time he turns his back. And that scene was touted as like, that's really the arrival of the Marx Brothers. That was the essence of them, before they ever met George S. Kaufman. It's just such a tantalizing thing if you love them.I think—because I love the theater and I love musical theater—a lot of my other interests are also right in the bullseye of I'll Say She Is: Broadway, New York City history. I'm a big fan of the culture of the Jazz Age in the 1920s. And this was just so appealing to me. So, every time a new book about the Marx Brothers would fall into my hands, the first thing I would do is look up I'll Say She Is in the index and read all the associated stuff first. I just had a little obsession about it. In The Marx Brothers Scrapbook, which is a book I'm sure familiar to both of you and many of the fans, that book reprints the entire opening night program from I'll Say She Is on Broadway. When I was 12 years old, I took that book to the library and photocopied it, and cut out the pages, and made myself a little program so that I could pretend that I had seen I'll Say She Is. Fast forward many years, and I'm an adult doing theater in New York. My wife and collaborator, Amanda Sisk and I were doing political satires, writing these musicals that would be ripped from the headlines. And we did that for a long time before realizing that the time it takes to develop a musical is too long for topical material, so we could never really perfect our work. And we decided to stop doing those shows, which were a bit of a dead end for us creatively. And I found myself after many years of doing one thing trying to figure out, well, what's my thing going to be now?And I think it was probably inevitable that I would just sort of go home to the Marx Brothers. ‘Well, let's do a Marx Brothers show. I haven't done that in a while, you know?' I don't know, it seems a little bit silly to call something so unlikely, inevitable, but I just think I was hurtling toward it from the day I picked up Adamson's book when I was three or four years old. JIM It had to have been both a joyful and frustrating experiences as you tried to recreate something that doesn't exist. The Napoleon sketch: we did a version of that Napoleon sketch. The only line I can remember from that Napoleon sketch was, “I'll be in Paris tomorrow, don't wash.” That's the only line I can remember from the entire show. I think of that. Was it super fun or was it super frustrating? Or was there a combo? What was that like? NOAHIt was fun. I mean, writing is always a combination of both of those things. Stephen Sondheim once called it agonizing fun. That's kind of what almost any writing process is. This one, I wouldn't have taken on the idea of doing I'll Say She Is if enough of it didn't survive and how much of it seemed to have survived. Before my research, I think what I was really thinking is that I would maybe try to write a book about I'll Say She Is, and maybe figure out some way to do the Napoleon scene on stage. But realizing that it could be a show again, that happened kind of slowly as material started to accumulate. Yes, the Napoleon scene has survived and that's been known for a long time. Also, the first scene of I'll Say She Is is one that's familiar to Marx Brothers fans, because it was an old vaudeville piece that they filmed in 1931. The theatrical agency scene. [Audio from the Clip] NOAH So, those are two big pieces of material were a given. And then as for the rest of it, I became aware, by relying on the work of other researchers, that there was a type script I'll Say She Is at the Library of Congress. Also, another slightly different one at the American Musical Theatre Institute run by Miles Kruger. And I was able to get my hands on the type script. Now it is on one hand, it's the script of I'll Say She Is. That isn't quite that what it is, though. It's a 30-page document that they went into rehearsal with. And, you know, going into rehearsal with the Marx Brothers, it's an outline with dialogue. It's what we would now refer to as a treatment. and there is some dialogue in it, some of which is recognizable from later Marx Brothers projects. Some of it is very sketchy. Of course, almost everything Harpo does is merely indicated: stage directions like, Harpo business, or sometimes, business with hat. But this provided something like 20% of the dialogue and the continuity for I'll Say She Is. There were no lyrics in it, but it did specify where the songs would fall. So, my first attempt to write a script for this was a combination of material from that type script and things learned from the playbill, from reading every account of I'll Say She Is I could find in books and interviews. And then I started to search old newspaper archives, which was just getting easier to do at this time. I was embarking on this sort of major I'll Say She Is research period around 2010 and it was just starting to be possible to read decades worth of old newspapers on the internet. It's gotten much easier since then. So, by reading every review I could find FROM every city I'll Say She Is had played in 1923, and 1924, and 1925, I started to realize there's material here. There's reviews that quote dialogue or describe scenes that aren't in the type script and that I didn't know about before and maybe nobody did (unless they've read this copy of the New York Clipper from 1924). And some of the songs from the original I'll Say She Is were published in 1924 and it was fairly easy to get my hands on those. But that represented only about half the score, maybe a third of the score. A number of the original songs remain missing. And of those, I did manage to find a couple. And to fill in the gaps, I found other songs written by the same people. Will Johnstone was the lyricist (Marx Brothers fans will know him as a screenwriter on some of their later films) and his brother Tom Johnstone wrote the music. Well, the Johnstones also wrote six or seven other Broadway shows during the same period. So, I was able to find some of those songs and interpolate them and do a sort of general polish on the lyrics on the surviving lyrics.When I was bringing in other songs, sometimes I would write the lyrics. I know there was a song here, and I know what it was about. So, I'll write a lyric about that and whenever I had to do that kind of thing, where I would invent something to fill a gap, I would always try to do it very conscientiously, by relying on what I knew about the Marx Brothers act up to 1924. And also by immersing myself in Will Johnstone's writing. He's an interesting, very unsung artist too; he was a very prolific newspaper writer and cartoonist and did a little bit of everything. So, by reading everything I could get my hands on by Johnstone, it made it a little easier to write what he would have written for them. JOHNThat's just fascinating. JIM It really is. The whole thing to me is it's so titillating and so exciting that even though I say I never really want to do Groucho ever again, if you said, I'm gonna send you a copy of I'll Say She Is, I produced that. I'd be in that. I put that up right now. NOAHIt could happen, Jim. I think what you said earlier, Jim, about playing Groucho, you feel like there's this mantle of greatness that is, is impossible to live up to. I feel that way too. It is impossible. I mean, playing Groucho on stage, you're kind of making a deal with the audience, like, ‘Hey, we both know, I'm not him. I'm not. Nobody will ever be that good at doing that. But if you'll meet me in the middle, I think I can fool you for a minute.' It becomes a sense of responsibility. And it's the same thing with reviving, I'll Say She Is. If we're gonna put that title on a marquee, and charge people money to see it, boy, this better be the very best we can do. JOHNSo, once you started reconstructing I'll Say She Is, were you always planning on putting it on its feet? NOAH Well, probably, the answer is definitely yes. I think the question is, would I have admitted it to myself early on? I do remember nibbling around the edges of it for a while before looking at squarely in the face and saying, ‘We have to do this.' We have to do this on stage for that very reason: because it is so daunting. It's daunting to produce a big musical, even without all the baggage and the history and responsibility of the Marx Brothers and I'll Say She Is. JIM I looked at the pictures of your production and was flabbergasted at the cast and how big the cast is, and the costumes for the cast. It was like, this is a big deal. NOAH One thing that was very lucky—because of the nature of the project, and because it's so interesting and historical—it attracted a lot of really talented people, all of whom worked for much less than they deserved. We have done it twice at this point: the Fringe Festival production in 2014 was the first, full staging and the book Give Me a Thrill is current through that production. Then in 2016, we did an Off-Broadway production, which was larger and fuller and ran longer and was even more fully realized. There will be a new edition of a book covering that production. But even that is now some years ago.There is in the future, I think for an even bigger, even more 1924-faithful I'll Say She Is. And I also think there may be a lightweight version of I'll Say She Is. I think we may experiment with that, saying, ‘Oh, okay, it's a 1920s revue. It has a line of chorus girls. It's spectacular. But what if we did to it what Marx Brothers fans often want to do to the film's and just boiled it down to just the Marx Brothers gold and do an I'll Say She Is Redux?' There two licensable versions of Animal Crackers. There's a small cast multiple role kind of version, and then there's the big full musical. JOHNIt's like the Teeny Sweeney. The idea of you offering and creating a version that would be a little easier for most theaters to do. I think is really a smart idea. JIMKnowing the Marx Brothers, and knowing Coconuts and Animal Crackers, because of course, they're enshrined in celluloid and we can look at them whenever we want. There's a story to both of those things, loose as it may be. I wouldn't say either The Coconuts or Animal Crackers were a revue. Is the same true of I'll Say She Is? Is it a revue where we're just going from sketch to sketch to sketch or song to song to sketch, and they're not connected by a through line the way Coconuts or Animal Crackers are? NOAHIt's an interesting question and the answer is kind of both. One thing that has happened is I think the word revue is now understood more narrowly than it was in the Marx Brothers day. When we use the word revue now, we generally mean exactly what you're describing: a variety kind of evening, with a series of unrelated sketches or songs. But the truth is in the 1920s, particularly, revues tended to have either thin plots or themes that tied them together. And that's exactly what distinguished a Broadway review or what would have been called rather snootily, a legitimate revue. That's what distinguishes it from vaudeville, which really was one act after another and what the third on the bill does on stage has nothing to do with the content of what was second on the bill. A lot of these Broadway revues, including the Ziegfeld Follies, they would be built on themes or plots. An example would be As Thousands Cheer, Irving Berlin's famous revue. It doesn't have a plot that runs all the way through it, but each piece is based on a news story of the day. It's not just a collection of songs. In the case of I'll Say She Is, it was a thinly plotted revue. And the thin plot is: a bored heiress is looking for thrills. That's the plot. It makes Animal Crackers look very sophisticated. It begins with a breaking news that a society woman craves excitement, she has promised her hand, her heart, and her fortune to whoever can give her the biggest thrill. Very saucy stuff. So, each scene or musical number in the show is vaguely an attempt to give her a thrill. It's kind of like a clothesline. You can hang anything on it. So, the Napoleon's sketch—in the context that was provided for it in 1924—is a fantasy sequence where the ingenue fantasizes that she's in the court of Napoleon. That's the attempt of the hypnotist to give her a thrill. In order to make the show a little more compact and a little more accessible, in my adaptation I did nudge it a little closer to being a book show. I did I strengthen the plot a little bit. I just added some reinforcements, some undergirding to the plot. And some things in the show that weren't connected to the plot, but could have been, I made some little connections there. And also, some of the sequencing was a little perverse in terms of how the evening built. So I thought, with the help of many people who worked on the show with me, but I'll mention Travest-D and Amanda Sisk, who had a lot to do with the development of the script, we figured out that the Napoleon scene really should go at the end of Act One. And the courtroom scene should go at the end of Act Two. And other little concessions like that to make a contemporary audience feel some sense of satisfaction. JOHNYou both do such a nice job of Groucho—even though one of you has to be dragged into it kicking and screaming. What is, from your experience, what is the hardest part of being Groucho on stage? NOAH Well, for me, the most challenging part is the physical performance. That's the part I work on the most. When I see video of myself as Groucho, that's the part—if I notice things to improve on next time—they're usually physical things. I think that may have something to do with my particular skill set. I'm very comfortable vocally. I like my vocal version of Groucho and it sounds the way he sounds to me. I generally feel confident with that, although off nights do happen. But physically, being him physically, partly because he was so verbally overwhelming, we often overlook what an interesting and unusual and brilliant physical performer, Groucho Marx was. I can't think of anyone who moved the way he moved. Both his physical body was unusual, his shape, and the way he—especially in the early films—he like has no gravity. He's sort of weightless.There is a tendency to make him too manic and to try to match his impact by being loud and fast and very abrupt in your movements. Or overly precise. He wasn't that precise, actually. He was pretty sloppy in the way he moved. But there was a grace in all that sloppiness…The difficulty of putting it into words—that you're experiencing with me right now—is part of where the challenge is. There are times when I feel good about the physical performance, and I nail something, a move of his that I've been working on. But I think that's the part that's the most challenging. JOHNOkay, Jim, how about you? What did you find most challenging? JIM You know, what I found most challenging is dealing with the mantle of Groucho. Not just the audience's expectations of what that means, but more problematic, my own belief system, about what I'm capable of, and how far short of what the man was and did on stage my version of him is.So for me, I always had to really kind of get myself ramped up in order to believe that, okay, I'm going to go on, I'm going to do this. And it was a constant battle for me every night before I would go on. Am I capable of this? Is there anything about this that's even moderately entertaining for an audience? And I just couldn't get by that and I still can't, you know, I still can't get that out of my head. Now, I separate that for a second and set it aside with It's a Wonderful Life. I'm very happy with what I've achieved in It's a Wonderful Life. Very happy with, what I've done, me personally, and the show in general. But my performances, I'm very happy and satisfied with them and I'd love to do them and can't wait till December comes around so I can do it again. But the Marx Brothers thing is that there's a fear factor, I guess that I'm going to let him down in some way and I can't help but let him down. There's a certain love and respect I have for him, in the same way that I have love and respect for magic, that I just don't want to be a bad Elvis impersonator. You know what I mean? That's what I don't want to do. There's a big difference between Elvis and the best Elvis impersonator and you can have joy in both. But, you know, Groucho is so far—and nothing against Elvis, please. If you're listening to this podcast, and you think I'm about to diss Elvis, you're right. But I don't mean it that way. There's a vast difference between what Groucho was on screen and what Elvis was on screen. Elvis could sing. Groucho could do anything. And that's the difference, and I can't do anything. I can barely sing. I'm lucky enough to have done it and I'm happy to have done it and when people talk to me about it. ‘Oh, I saw you was Groucho. You were excellent.' And I want to say, ‘Apparently, you don't know the Marx brothers. I wasn't.' NOAH That's a very Groucho response, that hey, you are great in that show, and you have no taste, you know? JIM That's exactly right. JOHNWell, I could do this all night, but we're not going to do that. I want to just wrap up with a couple Speed Round questions, kind of general Marx Brothers questions. Noah, do you have a favorite of the movies? NOAH Animal Crackers, because I think it's the closest we can get to seeing them as a stage act at the peak of their powers. JOHNOkay, do you have a favorite scene? NOAHYes, I feel guilty because my favorite Marx Brothers scene only has one Marx Brothers in it and I I love Harpo and Chico and I even love Zeppo. I have to say that, but my favorite scene is the strange interlude scene in Animal Crackers. [Audio from the Clip] JOHNTo have been there live, to watch him do that, to see him step forward. I would rank that very high for my favorite scene. Jim, do you have a favorite movie and a favorite scene? JIMYeah, I think so. Largely because it was my first experience of the Marx Brothers, nothing for me compares to a Night at the Opera. If I am clicking around and Night at the Opera is on, we stopped clicking and that's what it is. And anybody who is in the house, my wife or the kids, I'm sorry, but you'll either have to find another TV or go out to play, because this is what we're going to be watching for a while And you know the line of Groucho's, what happened? [Audio from the Clip: “Oh, we had an argument, and he pulled a knife on me so I shot him.”]. JIM That right there. When I heard that the first time, I was afraid I'd have to leave the theater. I started laughing so hard, and I couldn't come back from it. It just kept coming to me. I kept thinking of that well past it and was giggling about it and so that whole ‘belly up, put your foot up here.' That whole thing to me is as good as it gets. JOHNOne other little alley, I want to go down. There's another great book and Noah, if I get the title wrong, please correct me. Is it Four of the Three Musketeers? NOAH Yes. JOHNWhich tracks in exhausting detail, every stage appearance of their stage career. As you look through it—we're all getting older, all three guys—you begin to realize the weird gap or you think something was a long time ago and it turns out it wasn't. I was born in 1958 and realized just recently that Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was made a mere 10 years before I was born. The Marx Brothers on stage in the 20s, or late teens and 20s, they're traveling everywhere in the country. They came to Minneapolis a lot. They went to Duluth a lot. And, you know, a mere 40 years before I was born, I could have gone and seen them. So, my question to you guys is: you have a chance to see the Marx Brothers live on stage in that era. What is your pick? What do you go see? You have a time machine. You can go you can go see one thing or two. I'll give you two, because I have two. NOAHWell, I'm glad. I'm glad you're given me two, because the obvious answer is I'll Say She Is and.... JIM That would be my answer too. JOHN Bring your iPhone and hit record. Yeah. NOAH Yeah, right, bootleg it. Nobody knows what an iPhone is anyway. Exactly. JIM And then you just go right back to what you did as a 14-year-old line by line. JOHNOkay. So, your second choice after the obvious, I'll Say She Is? NOAH I guess it would be to see some of the even earlier stuff, satisfying the urge to see them at their best on Broadway. You know, there's a lot of curiosity about the act up really up to 1920. In 1920 or 21, there's a big change. That's when Groucho painted the moustache on and drops the German or sometimes Yiddish accent he had been using before. Harpo and Chico evolved more subtly, but in a sense, they were all playing somewhat different characters in the early vaudeville tabs. So I guess I would want to see Home Again, which was their vaudeville tabloid, that carried them through the World War One years and beyond. JOHNJim? JIMAnything vaudeville. The school sketches that they did. I'd see anything. It wouldn't matter to me. If I could get back there, I'd go every day. John, you and I were talking about Robin Williams and being the greatest improviser of all time, and the quote that you said was, somebody had said, “see the eight o'clock show, then see the 10 o'clock show, and we'll talk.” And to me, that's interesting. I would kill to, you know, follow them on the road, like Bruce Springsteen, and just see how much of it really is the same. In the same way that I'm tickled, when somebody says to me, ‘How much of that did you just make up on the spot?' None of it. Essentially, none of it did I make up on the spot. I'd like to see how much of what they did day to day was exactly the same and how much of it was, ‘today, I'm going to do this for no reason at all' and I'd like to see how much of that is different. JOHNYou know, my two choices kind of fall within that. One is the day that Chico's daughter didn't go to the show, and she came home, and Chico thought she'd gone to it and he said, ‘What did you think?' And she said, ‘What do you mean?' And he said, ‘Harpo and I switched roles.' And I know it's weird: if you had like one chance to go see the Marx Brothers, you're gonna go see them do the role they're supposed to do. But it's just fascinating when you think about it. The other one is when Groucho was sick and Zeppo stepped in and if I'm quoting Susan Marx's book correctly, the reaction was so strong towards what Zeppo did that Groucho got healthy really fast and came back. But Zeppo was really, really good. We do have the agent sketch, so you get a sense of what they were like on stage. You do get that. But the idea of seeing, I can easily see Zeppo doing Groucho. But Chico doing Harpo and vice versa? I realize that if I have a time machine, I should go back and do something more helpful for the world. But at that same time, I want to stop by and see that one show where they switched. JIM That you'll do that on your lunch break. While you're stopping World War Two, on the way home, swing by and see that show. You've earned it. NOAH That's a good answer. JOHNYeah. Noah, thank you so much for chatting with us. JIM Just a delight. Thank you so much. I had a great time talking to you. NOAHIt's been a pleasure, fellas. Thank you for having me on.

Today's podcast guest is Tom Johnstone. Tom is an environmental scientist and outdoor professional based in North Wales. He runs supported mountain biking adventures through his business Carbon Monkey and has completed some epic bikepacking trips across Iceland and Norway (just to name a couple).  I hope you enjoy this conversation with Tom as much as I did and if you did, please leave a review and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to get the next one. In this episode we discuss: - Undertaking bikepacking journeys in Scotland, Iceland and Norway - The importance of adventure for mental health - Improving accessibility of adventure for all  - What a Marine Mammal Medic callout entails - How the world is full of kind and caring people If you'd like to find out more about Tom and get in touch you can do so here:  www.carbon-monkey.co.uk   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-johnstone-111b961b3/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carbon.monkey Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecarbonmonkey/   Here are links to the resources mentioned in the conversation: The Black Dog Dance Club - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1873051399636642/  About the Adventure Pro Podcast The Adventure Pro Podcast is a collection of wide-ranging interviews, stories and inspiration from amazing people that have made adventure their business. It's where adventure, outdoors and travel professionals come together to learn, share and encourage others to carve their own path in life.    I'll be interviewing guides, photographers, designers, instructors, content creators, YouTubers, sponsored athletes, film makers, shop owners and many others that have made a career, business or side hustle from the outdoors and adventure. If you or someone you know would like to be featured, please email adventurepropodcast@gmail.com and make sure you SUBSCRIBE to get the next one.   If you'd like to support the podcast you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/adventurepropod    You can also find the podcast here:  https://www.instagram.com/adventurepropod  https://www.facebook.com/adventurepropod  https://twitter.com/adventurepropod 

Frankie Vaughan seemed to be constantly present on British Television in 1960s. Mr Moonlight they called him. He had a big voice and a big stage presence, top hat, bow tie and tails. He had many hits during the 1950s and had a brief career in Holywood. Most notably opposite Marilyn Monroe in Lets make Love. Here he gives us The Green door. Lita Rosa- Hernando's Hideaway. Rosa started her stage career at the age of 12. At 24 she was lead female singer with Ted Heath. A strong voice which probably never reached its full potential with the material she was given. Variety is the spice of life on Forgotten Songs. So next up is Tom Wright with Driving into Glasgae in a sour milk cairt. Its billed as traditional on the Beltona label. It's not but was written in 1914 by Tom Johnstone for the comedian J.C macDonald. It's in broad Scots. Two from a F.S favourite, Kay Starr- Too busy and If you love me. Dickie Valentine was a popular crooner in Britain through the 50s. Like many British singers he existed on a diet of American covers. He died in a car crash in 1971. Joan Regan and The Squadronaires give us Ricochet. The Squadronaires were the R.A.F big band. There is some confusion of her birth name and exactly where she was born.  Again she did a lot of American covers through the 50s but her U.S recorded version of Don't talk to me of love become a Northern Soul classic. Languishing in the F.S colection has been this piece of US Billbord chart history from Tommy Edwards. It's all in the game was the first number one by an African American in the chart. Released in 1958 it was the biggest hit from this singer- song writer. He sadly died young at 47. Frank Ferera with Beautiful Love. He was a Hawaiian music pioneer. We go all posh with Air on a G string with Norbert Wethmar on violin. The only information I can be certain of about him are two references from The Radio Times in the late 1930s. Two performances with the BBC Orchestra. Florrie Forde was the Australian born grand Dame of British Music hall. Whose career spanned Victorian variety theatre to entertaining the troops in Aberdeen in 1940. She died after the performance, aged 64. Her songs included- Hold out your hand you naughty boy, Down at the old Bull and Bush and I do like to be by the seaside. Here she gives us When we were strolling around town. Maurice Winnick was another Manchester born musical child prodigy. As a teenager he was a band leader on a transatlantic liner. He had a succesful career through the 1930s and 40s. He died in 1960. He plays a lovely version of The Waltz you saved for me. The Platters need no introduction and neither does the song- Smoke gets in your eyes. Okay its not forgotten but how often do you hear it directly from the original 78?

in the FINAL podcast of 2022, Lee & Jamie are joined by one of the most electric players to grace Belle Vue - Tom Johnstone.

Increased rainfall and storm intensity are hugely important characteristics of global temperature rises and the way land is managed can have an enormous impact on our ability to reduce flood risk. In this programme we're talking about natural flood defences and ways to manage water flows in the landscape. ffinlo Costain talks to Chris Uttley, the Stroud Valleys Natural Flood Management Officer for Stroud District Council, and Tom Johnstone, the Strategic Climate Change, Green Infrastructure and Catchments Officer for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. (The AONB's landscape and nature recovery report can be downloaded here, and Tom can be contacted at Tom.Johnstone@denbighshire.gov.uk) https://twitter.com/ffinlocostain https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-uttley-b00996a2/ https://www.stroud.gov.uk/environment/flooding-and-drainage/stroud-rural-sustainable-drainage-rsuds-project/natural-flood-management https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-johnstone/ https://www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyaonb.org.uk/ https://www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyaonb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Landscape-Nature-Recovery-ENG-Interactive.pdf mailto:Tom.Johnstone@denbighshire.gov.uk --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/farmgate/message

Avui ens hem d'esperar a tenir fortes pertorbacions a la circulació de trens. Els sindicats han convocat un dia de vaga per reclamar una alça dels salaris en un moment en què la inflació és constant. Els casos positius de Covid-19 es multipliquen. Catalunya Nord compta ara amb 1.095 casos per 100.000 habitants, una alça de prop de 50 % en menys d'una setmana. A partir de demà el risc d'incendis serà extremadament elevat a tot Catalunya Nord i particularment a la plana del Rosselló. Ahir es van declarar 3 nous incendis. Tots van cremar a la vora de carreteres o de l'autopista. L'EFS, Establiment Francès de la Sang, informa de la necessitat de multiplicar les donacions de sang. Avui es podrà donar sang a la sala Arago d'Estagell entre les 3 i les 7 i mitja de la tarda. El Tribunal General de la Unió Europea es pronunciarà avui sobre el recurs dels eurodiputats de Junts Carles Puigdemont i Toni Comín contra el Parlament Europeu. Van denunciar que inicialment l'Eurocambra va refusar de donar-los- el seu escó d'eurodiputats. Els Dracs Catalans anuncien un nou fitxatge de cara a la temporada vinent. Es tracta de Tom Johnstone, té 26 anys, juga a l'ala per l'equip de Wakefield i fitxarà per 2 temporades.

Friend of the show, Tom Johnstone joined the boys - chatting his journey into punting and gave a few tips for the listeners.

Terry Leighton & Miles Pfitzner recap last week's racing. Belmont full card preview. Best bets. Chats with Tom Johnstone & Peter Anthonisz.

After the isolation and loneliness of the pandemic, we are rediscovering the positive benefits of social connections again and no one understands this better than our guest this week, Dr Jonathan Leary, who has taken holistic wellbeing to a whole new level. Dr Leary created Remedy Place, the world's first social wellness club, which is founded on alternative and natural health principles, providing a space for connecting without toxicity and optimizing the body's own methods for healing itself. So take a dip into the conversation with OIP this week and you never know ... you might leave yearning for an ice bath, or at least, take the plunge into kickstarting your daily routine … More about Remedy PlaceMore about Dr Jonathan LearyFollow @remedyplaceTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone 

Terry Leighton & Tom Johnstone take an in-depth look at tomorrow's card.

Brad Parnham joined Tom Johnstone and Terry Leighton chatting tomorrow's racing at Ascot.

Terry Leighton, Dan Cripps and Tom Johnstone gave their best bets for tomorrow's racing at Ascot.

Terry Leighton and Tom Johnstone recap last week's racing, preview Ascot's card, chat to Brad Parnham and give their best bets with Dan Cripps.

As we enter the recovery phase of the pandemic and at a time of great alienation and dislocation from society, how do we find a sense of belonging and strength in others and the wider community? To answer this, Tom and Drea reflect on the conversation with frontline optimist Tony Kim who, like many children of immigrants, grew up straddling two cultures and learned to navigate and embrace the superpowers of his third culture. Tony's unique perspective of being both an outsider and insider demonstrates that we can belong in multiple spaces and if we can strive to be a little more fluid in our thinking, says Dr Letamendi, we can relearn to be comfortable in different environments again.Listen to Optimist in Progress: Tony KimMore about Tony Kim and Hero WithinTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

This week on OIP, we talk to Naomi Hallum, the CEO of Million Dollar Vegan, about taking on the enormous mission of educating and empowering people to adopt a plant-based lifestyle. While the environmental, ethical, personal, and public health benefits of a vegan lifestyle are overwhelmingly compelling, the world's resistance to giving up animal products makes this global endeavor a particularly challenging one, she tells Tom and Drea. Nevertheless her commitment is unwavering - after all, if you have managed to persuade Pope Francis to fight climate change, through diet change, that is one mighty reason to feel hopeful that consumers can make better choices for a better world tomorrow.More about Million Dollar VeganFollow @milliondollarveganMore about VeganuaryMore about The Time in Between by María DueñasTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone 

Miles Pfitzner and Terry Leighton recapped last week's racing, previewed Ascot on Saturday, chat to trainer Luke Fernie & did bets bets with Tom Johnstone. (Note: recorded on Wednesday evening).

Almost two decades Tom Kay quit his corporate job in London and moved to a small Cornish village to build a company that inspired a love of - and connection to - the sea, in order to better protect our oceans for future generations. Finisterre, makes functional, sustainable clothing for cold water surfers clothing and is one of the pioneering, future-facing brands putting people and planet ahead of profit.  Founder Tom Kay talks to Drea and Tom about his maturing relationship with the sea, the inspirational initiatives they are involved in to expand ocean access for all, and his work as a volunteer helmsman of the local lifeboat. More about Finisterre More about the Finisterre FoundationFollow @finisterreMore about the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (UK) More about B CorpsListen to BBC Shipping ForecastTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Tony Kim is the founder of Hero Within, a lifestyle fashion brand for fanboys and fangirls of pop culture and the cosplay community. A child of Korean immigrants, he talks to Tom and Drea about the struggles of growing up in the “inbetween” space between two cultures and eventually discovering the superpower of his “third culture”. With the help of his own non-traditional family, his passion for all things nerdy and the San Diego Comic-Con inspired a unique calling that was reaching the peak of success when the pandemic hit. Tony talks frankly about holding on to his creative vision while his business pivoted to manufacturing PPE and finding the hero within to remain optimistic in a rapidly changing climate.  We hope you enjoy the conversation ...More about Hero WithinFollow Tony Kim on TwitterMore about Comic-ConMore about Seth GodinListen to Wayward Son by KansasTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Jon Alexander is co-founder of New Citizen Project, and for the past decade he has looked deeply at the impact that the dominant narrative in which we all live - the consumer story -  has shaped our lives, our institutions and most troublingly, our self perception. In his new book, Citizens: Why the key to fixing everything is all of us,  he hopes to show us how to reclaim the word "citizen" in its truest sense - together, people - and empower us to work towards a more community-centric future. But how to untether ourselves from the culture of high capitalist consumerism? What exactly are the steps to do that? Tom and Drea talk to Jon about collective power and hackers in Taiwan, a new breed of businesses shaking things up, and the future role of elected leaders as facilitators or space-makers.More about Jon Alexander and CitizensMore about New Citizen Project More about author Rebecca SolnitListen to the How to Citizen podcastWatch The Jam: A Town Called MaliceTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Terry Leighton & Miles Pfitzner were joined by up & coming punter & Bloodstock agent - Tom Johnston

Groundbreaking cannabis activist and consultant Andrew DeAngelo has been a key actor in the legalization of this industry. This week on OIP he talks to Tom and Drea about his personal connection with cannabis on both sides of the law and his commitment to redressing past and continuing injustices through The Last Prisoner Project, a non-profit organization he co-founded with his brother. They also discuss the use of the arts and culture to remove the stigma that still looms large over marijuana use. His deep conviction to social change and his willingness to make personal sacrifices are an inspiring reminder that grassroots activism starts from within. More about Andrew DeAngeloMore about Last Prisoner ProjectListen to Bullshit Anthem by Fantastic NegritoMore about The weldon projectMore about Cage Free CannabisMore about Michael Pollan's How Coffee and Tea Created the Modern WorldMore about Tony Kushner's Angels in AmericaTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

The beginning of a new year can often bring on pressure to make significant changes in our lives. But how often do we really pay attention to the thing right in front of us, to the task at hand? This week, we revisit an episode of Optimist in Progress, in which Dr Drea Letamendi shares her insights on how to create moments of mindfulness as we fold laundry, chop carrots or do the dishes. By tuning in to those repetitive tasks, and connecting to the sensations of everyday activities, she explains, the small moments take on a new significance, creating a profound sense of gratitude, and enhancing our mental wellbeing.For more on Jon Kabat ZinnFor more on the Zen koan, Chop Wood, Carry WaterA brief intro to ZenA definitive guide to Zen by Alan Watts - The way of ZenTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

It's easy to feel the heaviness of the setbacks of the past year, and let's be honest, 2022 has already served up some doozies. Nonetheless, as we move through the year ahead, Tom and Drea discuss how to pause the everyday demands and make plans that spark joy; the importance of saying yes to new things and how we can reframe some of the disappointments of the pandemic. Taking these small steps can help us as we build the practice of optimism and look forward to a more content and intentional future.Follow Tara Roth on TwitterMore about the Goldhirsh FoundationMore about  LA2050To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Tom and Drea talk to future-shaper Tara Roth about what's ahead for social innovation in Los Angeles, the  convergence of business and philanthropy, and the conviction and tenacity needed to really create, drive and support meaningful and lasting social change in the city and beyond. As president of the Goldhirsh Foundation, Tara has spearheaded some remarkable and diverse initiatives from My LA2050 - a grassroots and crowd-sourced campaign that backs proposals for improving Los Angeles - to supporting the legalization of street vendors, to a bold and pioneering universal basic income project in Stockton.  Listen up, all you social entrepreneurs.Follow Tara Roth on TwitterMore about the Goldhirsh FoundationMore about LA2050More about Rick HansonRead Invictus by William Ernest HenleyTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

After OIP's inspiring conversation with Citizen Cope - a musical artist who has successfully tuned into his intuitively-creative process throughout his career - Tom and Drea reflect on the concept of “flow” - a mental state  that is also referred to as “being in the zone”. This transformative feeling of energized focus and absorption is related to our sense of happiness and fulfillment, but how do we find it? Is there a formula for this special attunement of mind and body? And most importantly, can we bottle it?More about Mihaly CzikszentmihalyiMore about Citizen CopeFollow @citizencopeTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone 

This week on OIP, the phenomenally-talented recording artist and producer, Clarence Greenwood, AKA Citizen Cope, talks to Tom and Drea about his musical journey from learning the trumpet at school to signing with multiple major labels and working with renowned artists such as Carlos Santana and Sheryl Crow. He discusses his uniquely  intuitive and poetic creativity and the challenges he faced along the way - from debilitating stage fright to the pressures of producing music for his label while touring. Today, he helps create musical opportunities for young people and has found his own inner peace, which enables him to create the authentic work he set out to do while finding new and empowering ways of engaging with his audience.More about Citizen CopeFollow @citizencopePavarotti singing Nessun DormaAretha Franklin's Nessun DormaMore about Turn Around ArtsTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

As the year draws to a close, it is oftentimes a period of reflection - and not always in a good way. Many of us sway towards focusing on the things we haven't accomplished, our personal shortcomings and what goals we plan to set ourselves in the future. This week, Tom and Drea are energized by the inspiring optimism of Apryl Electra Storms and talk about strategies for banishing those end-of-year, self-loathing blues. At a time when life can get hectic and overwhelming before the holidays, a little self-forgiveness and kindness can go a long way. We are all optimists in progress.Follow @aprylelectraFollow @doctorgodmusicFollow @minusmoonshineTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

It's difficult not to be captivated by Apryl Electra Storms' infectious optimism. In this episode the entrepreneur and co-founder of Minus Moonshine talks to Drea and Tom about their journey from chef to musician to owner of a ground-breaking alcohol-free drinks store in Brooklyn. Apryl has disrupted and defied expectations their whole life, living intuitively and constantly encouraging a reframing of scenarios to help themselves. Apryl talks candidly about identifying non-binary, the challenges they have faced, and the life-changing importance of language for trans people to feel safe and accepted in society.Follow @aprylelectraFollow @doctorgodmusicFollow @minusmoonshineListen to Depeche Mode on YouTubeListen to Massive AttackMore about Fleetwood MacMore about Joni MitchelTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

What keeps us going after a devastating loss, crisis or tragedy? How do we recover and even flourish after a traumatic event? This week on OIP, Tom and Drea discuss the remarkable resilience and positivity of bartender and chef Matthew Biancaniello. His restaurant, Mon-Li, was burned in the Woolsey fire, but ultimately he expressed feeling liberated by this event, and freed up to pursue his creative endeavors. They discuss whether our fundamental need for survival is instinctive or whether it can be learned and nurtured to prepare us for whatever life might hold.More about Matthew BiancanielloMore about Viktor E FranklFollow @eatyourdrinkMore about Mon-Li More about the Woolsey fire (LA Times)To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Meet an indomitable creative force on OIP this week, and perhaps the best embodiment of the proverb “fall down seven times, stand up eight”. Category defying and self-taught bartender and chef, Matthew Biancaniello, came to fame with the legendary, farmers market-inspired cocktails he constructed at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, and at Malibu's Mon-Li, where he created what has been described as “the most extravagant cocktail experience.” He found his calling unexpectedly, but the ride has been a wild one and it shows no sign of slowing down ...   More about Matthew BiancanielloFollow @eatyourdrinkMore about Mon-Li More about Tosha SilverMore about the Woolsey fire (LA Times)Listen to whale music on YouTubeTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Tom Johnstone is an environmental activist with quite a long history of participation. He is based in North Wales where he cooperates with Greenpeace, Amnesty International and FishAct. He also carries out various educational programs. Tom will tell us about his journey, what activism tools he relies on and what activism itself mean to him.

After existing for so long with pandemic restrictions, even the most familiar spaces can make us feel anxious or intimidated. And then there are those places and moments - the  gym, the public speaking event, the difficult conversation - that make the adrenaline rush, and not always in a good way. Flight often ensues.  But psychologists agree that some degree of discomfort is a good thing, a growth opportunity. Tom and Drea discuss some of the empowering tools to employ to prepare yourself for uncomfortable or unfamiliar situations, including “setting the table” of expectations, creating a positive association and voicing our vulnerabilities.More about Hero's Journey FitnessTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

When self professed nerds Christy Black and David Nett felt a little out of place in traditional gyms, they decided to create their own inclusive space where all bodies - and minds - could feel that they belong. Hero's Journey is Los Angeles' first fitness space specifically designed for the “geek community”, and it feels like part of a broader cultural change that embraces individuality and non-conformist ways of being. Christy and David discuss how their compassionate coaching approach eschews the body shame and competition that fuels much of the fitness industry. And if you want an anime figure skating themed workout? No problem. Capes are optional.More about Hero's Journey FitnessMore about Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley RobinsonMore about Mr RogersMore about Carl SaganMore about Battlestar GalacticaTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Last week's conversation with Reginald "Syience" Perry got a lot of love and started up many conversations. When trying to work out which theme or insight to explore in this follow-up episode, we really struggled.  We don't use the term "self-actualized" lightly, but when it comes to Syience … So, this week's episode we're calling "Syience lessons".  If you haven't heard the conversation from last week, go ahead and listen to that first. Then tune in to Drea and Tom as they talk "durable" or active stillness, creative visualization, Stoicism and dispositional optimism, working towards deeper connections with yourself and with others, and a whole bunch of other stuff we might all really benefit from practicing. And to be clear, it will take some practice.Follow @syience1More about Reginald "Syience" PerryTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

In this episode I'm talking to Tom Johnstone, founder and CEO of Optimist Drinks, a non-alcoholic spirits company based in Los Angeles. Optimist Drinks are designed to enhance social connection and to creating a range of products that give people a choice, the freedom to experiment with their drinking rituals and strengthen their social connections. In the episode we discuss rethinking drinking, the habitual nature of drinking and how it is ingrained in our social rituals; why we still feel the need to justify not drinking for any reason; how his experience as a brand strategist for tech companies helped hone the creation of Optimist; why having a purpose is so important for any brand, and so much more.    www.Trybite.com/BLONDE for 20% off your first subscription order. www.Drinkolipop.com/BLONDEFILES for 20% off plus free shipping site-wide. www.Gomacro.com with code BLONDEFILES for 30% off plus free shipping on all orders over $50. www.Piquetea.com/blonde for an additional 5% off your limited time bundle with gifts.   Produced by Dear Media

This week, OIP steps into another dimension with multi Grammy-award winning producer and creative dynamo, Reginald “Syience” Perry. He talks about his roots in Flint, Michigan and the remarkable, self-willed leap that led him to NY and - in less than a year - to collaborations with artists such as Jay-Z, Beyoncé, John Legend and Mary J Blige. Syience's true calling though, as he tells Tom and Drea, came in the form of myriad dreams directing him towards a new way of story-telling - an epic collision of music, fiction and technology or what he calls his “universe in a box”. He talks about channeling this transcendental creative flow into his ambitious 10-year project, Radio Flyer, returning the power of imagination to education and reclaiming true, authentic connections. And if this sounds a little mind-blowing - it is … Listen now.Follow @syience1More about Reginald "Syience" PerryMore about The Harder They FallListen to Alice Smith on OIPMore about InterstellarMore about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless MindWatch the trailer: Ready Player OneTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Tom is no stranger to adventure. In fact, he has been guiding mountain bike trips for years. So when his wife tragically passed away from cancer, he decided to turn to the thing he knew best to deal with the grief and do a trip he had been talking about for 20 years…Follow Tom:Instagram: @carbon.monkeyFacebook: @thecarbonmonkeySupport Adventure Sports Podcast monthly by going to Patreon.com/AdventureSportsPodcast or make a one-time donation to the show here. Want nutritious, ready to cook, plant-based meals delivered right to your front door? Go to GreenChef.com/asp100 and use code asp100 to get $100 off including free shipping!Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/adventure-sports-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

One of the upsides to the pandemic is that people have opened up to conversations around mental wellbeing. In fact, it seems like everyone is talking about mental health right now, but for most of us it is pretty intangible, and responses still seem to be limited to general terms - “fine/not fine (but not sure how else to describe it) ...”This week Dr Drea (UCLA) talks to Tom about how using a continuum model, perhaps a color scale, can help us  recognize the shades and subtleties of mental health, and give us the tools to understand, and help others understand, where we're at. Among professionals, the discussion around mental wellness is shifting from a binary model of diagnosis to a dimensional approach; one which could help us all reframe our own path back to active optimism.More about the Five zone model of mental health / the mental health continuumFull list of resources for mental health helpNational Alliance on Mental IllnessMore about the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)Listen to Mark Hunter on OIPTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Olympic gold medalist and world rowing champion, Mark Hunter, talks to Drea and Tom about his three Olympic performances, what he refers to humorously as “the bad, the good and the ugly”.  His turbulent journey forced him to develop the mental strength and resilience to deal with pressures that came with competing at a time when mental health was not openly discussed in sport or indeed in the world at large. He credits today's athletes for courageously opening up the conversation around mental health in competitive sports, talks about how he recognizes his own ‘triggers', and shares his hopes for supporting future athletes in their field and beyond.More about Mark HunterWatch Eminem's Lose Yourself on YouTubeTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

As Optimists in Progress we hoped to spring into Season 2 firmly in a “post-pandemic” world or at least something approaching 'normal',  but as the pandemic morphs into an endemic, we are welcoming our new season of guests into a time of cautious acclimation to a new reality. In this first episode of Season 2, Tom and Drea reflect on where we find ourselves right now, and some of the positive habits we can build to accept, cope and ultimately thrive in this next, constantly shifting phase. Listen in to our conversations with change-makers and future-shapers over the coming months. Activists, athletes, entrepreneurs, musicians, chefs and many other guests share how their own paths to active optimism have helped them find radical joy and purpose in this time of flux.Read more about:Kubler-Ross stages of grief / change curveAcute v chronic stress and post-covid stress disorderFORBES: Delta Variant and second wave of health issuesSuicide rates among youth of color are risingThe Nation: Howard Zinn, Optimism in UncertaintyTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone 

We are living through a global pandemic, and viral contagion is something we are all very familiar with. But what about emotional contagion? How can the idea of collective energy help us to navigate through difficult times, and empower us to create something better? In this episode Drea and Tom talk 'collective effervescence', how we can spread that positive energy deliberately or unconsciously and how we should seek out other people to guide us through - and raise our spirits - when we find it harder to see.More on Crop Swap LARead about Jamiah Hargins and Asante Micro Farm To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone 

Growing vegetables might seem an unlikely way to fight the power, but Jamiah Hargins has no doubt it offers a revolutionary means by which to address social inequity, build community and address problems centuries in the making. He quit a career in finance to focus on social entrepreneurship, founding Asante Microfarm and Crop Swap LA, and his vision of an urban paradise is, he believes, fully achievable if we engage in active optimism, and break out of the ‘self perpetuating cycle of non-action'.More about Crop Swap LAMore about Asante MicrofarmMore about LA 2050More about Enviroscapela.comListen to Tao Te Ching on Soundcloud To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Why do so many of us feel guilty or lazy when resting? This week on OIP, Tom and Drea discuss why our fast-paced, high-achieving culture values “busyness” and how taking an intentional pause seems at odds with this concept of productivity. They talk about how writing our own ‘permission slips' to ditch the ‘to do' list and instead experience moments of idleness is actually the key to better creativity and focus, as well as an empowering boost for our mental health.For more information on Timeka Drew's Biko FlowerMore about The Liberty Tree FoundationTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Cannabis entrepreneur Tamika Drew talks about how a debilitating disease led her to embrace cannabis as medicine and her personal journey to establishing her family-run cannabis business Biko Flower. She tells Tom and Drea about how her Nigerian ancestry and strong female leadership inspired her along the way and the vital importance of continuing her social activism work in the field of corporate cannabis.For more on Biko FlowerMore about Nat TurnerMore about The Liberty Tree Foundation More about The Poor People's Economic Human Rights CampaignListen to Luna Lovebad To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

‘Reframing' or ‘cognitive restructuring' is a concept accessible to all of us. Tom and Drea discuss how it takes some work, but we can shift our perspective in order to lift the lens of negativity and distorted thoughts. Sometimes a small shift in thinking can have a huge impact in our daily lives.More about 'Cognitive reframing' TED talk: How to make stress your friend Follow Josh Harris @josh_the_bon_vivants More about The Bon Vivants To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Renowned hospitality entrepreneur and influential San Francisco bar owner, Josh Harris, discovered his passion for bartending after a sports injury cut short his athletic ambitions in his early twenties. He talks poignantly about his early struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, the calm he found being on the other side of the bar and navigating the cocktail renaissance sober.  As the hospitality industry makes tentative steps towards recovery, Josh shares how his commitment and resolute mindset help him face the post-pandemic challenges ahead, with a little pick-me-up from vintage hunting along the way.For further info on anything you have heard: Follow @josh_the_bon_vivantsFor Josh's vintage finds, follow @bvintaesfMore about Pig & PunchMore about The Bon VivantsTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Inspired by their conversation with award-winning architect Michael Lehrer, Tom and Drea discuss how we can enhance - and even challenge - our own environments for better well-being and spark joy in our daily work spaces/lives. As companies make decisions about a return to the office, how could we evolve traditional work spaces to allow for greater creativity and dignity?More on Happy by Design by  Ben ChannonMore on  Michael LehrerTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

The American Institute of Architects Los Angeles awarded Michael Lehrer the gold medal, their highest award, describing him as "an architect fully engaged with architecture as a means to contribute to society as a whole."  Michael has worked for clients across the social spectrum, but a great deal of his focus has been on finding innovative solutions to the crisis of 'houselessness' in LA.  He speaks to Drea and Tom about the importance of architecture as a means to restore our dignity and our humanity as a society, the creative opportunities afforded by 'focus in reverie', and the overwhelming power to be found in a simple smile.For further info on anything you've heard: Lehrer ArchitectsChandler: Tiny Little homesIsabel Wilkerson's CasteWatch: The Titans that built AmericaMore about David Hockney To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks  @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea  Letamendi  @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone 

There's a lot of talk of burn out right now;  swathes of people are quitting their jobs (or seriously thinking about it) in what's being referred to as 'The Great Resignation'.  Companies are struggling to fill roles, and it feels that something transformational is happening in society. Are we on the edge of something truly significant or do we just need a summer off before we head back to the workplace in September?  Tom asks Drea to articulate what burn out actually is as they discuss the unexpected upside of stress, and Tina Turner's pre-performance nerves.References: Forbes article on workers quitting in droves and The Great ResignationKelly McGonigal TED talk - How to make stress your friendTina Turner doc - Tina (on HBO) To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks  @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea  Letamendi  @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone 

After a 'hyper-accelerated' existence as the NY-based music editor for Vice, covering the underground music and recreational drug scene all over the world, author and journalist Michelle Lhooq moved to LA and a 'California Sober' lifestyle (the now zeitgeist phrase she originally coined in jest). Her outlook ("where optimism meets absurdity") is perhaps more in line with Gen Z than her own 'ironic cool Millenial' gen, and her exploration into the evolving counterculture, the protest scene and the shifting nature of 'illicit' substances provide a fascinating glimpse into the intersections of avantguard culture, politics, social and racial justice.  Michelle talks to Drea and Tom about partying, particularly post-pandemic, as a form of connection and healing, the positive actions of the 'disassociation generation', and sobriety as a political stance. Follow Michelle Lhooq @michellelhooq Subscribe to her newsletter - RaveNewWorld.Substack.comFor more on her book "Weed" To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks  @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea  Letamendi  @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone 

In this episode we return to the concept of 'collective liberation' introduced last week in our conversation with Charlotte James and Undrea Wright of The Ancestor Project. How can this idea help us to create a more equitable future for all? For many of us this concept might be unfamiliar, and taking action to undo historic oppression and systemic injustices may feel overwhelming and can be very uncomfortable. Dr Drea Letemendi talks to Tom Johnstone about "doing the work", what small steps we can all take in our daily lives to stop perpetuating existing inequities and how “decolonizing the individual” can lead to recovery and restoration in the broader community. To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks  @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea  Letamendi  @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone More about the Ancestor ProjectResources for Anguish and ActionRead these books for Action

Charlotte James and Undrea Wright came together to create - or channel - a radical and transformative path to healing through 'sacred plant medicine'. Through their ground-breaking work with The Ancestor Project, the Baltimore-based pair seek to integrate the ancient practice of legal psychedelics and non-psychoactive substances to support therapeutic journeys for the BIPOC community. This week on OIP, these remarkable frontline optimists talk with great consideration about reclaiming “Sacred Earth medicines” from historical systems of oppression, the badass indigenous ancestors we should look to for guidance, and how the aim of this work goes far beyond the self, towards a deeper collective liberation.For further links and reading see below:The Ancestor Project LEARN MORE ABOUT “Our badass indigenous ancestors”: Fannie Lou Hamer - https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/freedomsummer-hamer/Lilla Watson - https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/queensland-review/article/abs/lilla-watson/16131B34E295C6039BCBC01804CB5344The Four Agreements - Miguel RuizBraiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer - Of water and the spirit by Malidoma Patrice Somé -  MOVE:- Kemetic yoga - https://yogainternational.com/article/view/the-black-history-of-yogaLISTEN:-The Healers: The Last Chapter by Black Motion - https://blackmotion.lnk.to/TH10https://thenativemag.com/black-motion-the-healers-last-chapter/ To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks  @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea  Letamendi  @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone 

Most of us rush through the endless ‘to do' list of daily chores feeling distracted and impatient. How often do we really pay attention to the thing that's right in front of us, to the task at hand? In this episode of Optimist in Progress, Dr Drea Letamendi shares her insights on how to create moments of mindfulness as we fold laundry, chop carrots or do the dishes. By tuning in to those repetitive tasks, and connecting to the sensations of everyday activities, she explains,  the small moments take on a new significance, creating a profound sense of gratitude, and enhancing our mental wellbeing.For more on Jon Kabat ZinnFor more on the Zen koan, Chop Wood, Carry Water A brief intro to Zen A definitive guide to Zen by Alan Watts - The way of Zen To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Whilst she may not recognize herself as an optimist (“rainbows and ponies?”), the work that UK based food writer and nutritional coach Lizzie King is doing to educate people about how to 'eat well' in every sense certainly demonstrates an inherent commitment to building a better future for people and planet. Raised in a family of obsessive “foodies”, long summers spent in Tuscany had a huge influence on shaping Lizzie's understanding of farming, seasonality, ingredients, and the importance of sharing the experience of preparing, cooking and eating together with your people, whoever that might be.For more info about Lizzie KingFor Lizzie's book Lizzie Loves Healthy Delicious Nutritious (US) Further reading: Earthed by Rebecca Schiller To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit  optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea  Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Alan & Mark are here a day later than usual, but with very good reason, to bring you the recap of the last week in Rugby League from the fans-eye-view. Fans are back in Super League and cards are popular in the NRL - we discuss all that and everything in between. A busy news week has us questioning the RFL, seeing off Kyle Eastmond and worrying about Tom Johnstone. Your fan reviews take us through a mostly Monday night Super League round. We dig into the Women's Cup semis in the predictions. And learn some random facts in the quiz.Episode Sponsor:This episode is sponsored by Rob's Toy Shop.Find a wide range of toys, gifts, rugby league birthday cards and more at Rob’s Toy Shop on eBay. Visit stores.ebay.co.uk/robstoyshop and on any orders over £5 you can earn 5% cashback, and also 1% of your order value will go into the SLP coffers, by putting 'SLPDiscount' at checkout.Episode running order:News, from 12:45Super League Match Reviews, from 42:00Other Results, from 100:45Predictions, from 113:00Quiz & recommendations, from 126:45

It sounds a little like therapy-speak, but finding your authentic self, living authentically is just another way to say we're ‘keeping it real'. Authenticity has always been highly valued in our societies, particularly for artists and creatives, but what about the rest of us? How do we live an authentic life, and make sure our actions are closely aligned with our values and personal beliefs. Nobody wants to be called a faker. Jung and Gandhi had plenty to say on this,  and it was one of Shakespeare's recurring themes. In the words of Polonius to his son Laetres: “This above all else: To thine ownself be true.”If you are looking for more on this theme, listen to “Unlocking us with Brené Brown”To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Singer/songwriter Alice Smith was nominated for a Grammy for best newcomer when she hit the scene with her highly original sound and powerful stage presence. Record label politics though went on to have profound consequences for her on both a professional and a very personal level. She explains how her people, her commitment to her art, and a relentless pursuit of authenticity allowed her to reconnect with herself and gain strength from that traumatic period to become the artist she is today.For more on Alice or listen to her  latest album Mystery on Spotify, Apple music or wherever you get your music from. To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Much of the past year has been spent in isolation; we've been existing in small 'social bubbles', and relying heavily on technology to feel connected. Though quarantine helped our society to survive this virus, as Dr Drea explains to Tom in this episode, isolation is the opposite of what we need to foster resilience. Rebuilding those connections, even the minor daily interactions with strangers, is the key to healing and reviving our emotional and physical worlds. Just be prepared for some awkward elbow shaking and hug-ducking along the way.For more on  Cameron Hughes, Harvard Loneliness Studies, Gazing Therapy & Marina Abramovic Art Experiment see links below: Cameron Hughes, King of CheerHarvard Loneliness StudiesArthur Aaron Research & Gazing theoryMarina Abramovic Art Experiment To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Cameron Hughes is a professional cheer guy. He whips crowds of all sizes into a frenzy of excitement, abandoning self-consciousness to create a shared high - moments of pure elation and connection. In conversation with Drea and Tom, he explains how loss in his childhood led to this unlikely calling, describes the 'cheer sense' that allows him to read a crowd of thousands in an instant, and how, through the pandemic period even the 'King of Cheer' sometimes needs a cheer.For more on Cameron HughesDavid CogginsIron CowboyTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea  Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

For most of us living with partners or lovers, the past year of lockdown has been testing from a relationship perspective. The intensity of existing in the same space, in such close proximity, has led to a spike in divorce rates, and at the very least, stifled the romance and made our relationships somewhat functional. This week Drea and Tom get personal to discuss how important it is to remember to actively like our partners, and how intimate whistles and acoustic hacks might help keep things on track as we emerge back into the world.More about John Gottman's theories on love and marriageTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea  Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone 

Some people are born with a proclivity for optimism. Actor and performer Karen David is one of those fortunate individuals, but as she acknowledges, that doesn't mean she doesn't have to work constantly at honing her skill.  As the daughter of immigrants, she was often treated like an interloper, but her eight year old self found solace in singing Whitney Houston loud, dancing around in her basement and creating vision boards that inspire her still today. She talks to Dr Drea and Tom about the importance of tapping therapy and meditation in her optimism practice, as well as some more lighthearted tricks to survive lockdown tensions with loved ones.For anything on Karen David: Twitter: @KarenDavidInstagram: @karendavidofficialFacebook: @KarenDavidMusicMore about tapping or Brad YatesTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinks 

Wondering why so many of us were nurturing sourdough starter, planting seeds and signing up for an online language course this past year? Dr Drea mines the field of positive psychology and introduces the theory of 'broaden-and-build', something as humans we are hardwired for. Regardless of our circumstances, we can all access positive benefits simply by ensuring we embrace novel experiences. Just walking a new route home can significantly improve our physical state, our creativity and mental functioning, as well as improving social harmony and connectedness.  Embrace it and dive in!Read more: The Atlantic: What the pandemic is doing to our brainsTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstoneFollow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinks

Travel & food writer, and Los Angeles native, Krista Simmons spent her pre-COVID career exploring food cultures around the world. She talks candidly to Tom and Dr Drea about the impact of lockdown on her mental health, her work, and the food & hospitality industries across the globe. Despite the destruction wrought by the virus, she identifies seeds of hope, and an opportunity to rebuild the food industry in a way that could create a more equitable society, heal cultural wounds and reverse the environmental destruction, with a little help from 'the G.O.A.T', David Attenborough.To find out more about Krista Simmons visit: @kristasimmons Twitter https://twitter.com/kristasimmonsFacebook https://www.facebook.com/itskristasimmonsPodcast https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/fork-in-the-road/id1509620739Additional references discussed in the podcast:  1. David Attenborough - A Life on Our Planet2. The Truffle Hunters directed by Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw3. Minari, directed by Lee Isaac Chung4. Krista's Fork in the Road episode on Belcampo's organic carbon-positive farm -   Can Raising Cattle Be Good For the Climate? with Belcampo's Anya FernaldTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinks 

We have just passed the year mark, things are beginning to open up after an extraordinary, challenging and for some, tragic twelve months.  Dr Drea Letamendi talks to Tom about ways to process the past year in order to move forwards and thrive.More information on the Kubler-Ross model (5 stages of grief) This podcast was recorded at the Britely, a new private social club opening this spring on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.  or follow  @thebritelyDirector of Programming and Partnerships is Annalise Ghiz (also featured on the podcast). To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Dr Drea  Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinks

Play seems like the last thing any of us are prioritizing right now, but a conversation between Dr Drea and Tom highlights the importance of play for all of us - as a way of coping, connecting, surviving and even thriving through these late pandemic days. What actually constitutes play though is a fascinating thing to consider...Alan Watts Quotes: “This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ8so-ld-l0  (3:23- 4:00)“Existence, in the physical universe, is basically playful.”https://www.openculture.com/2018/11/alan-watts-dispenses-wit-wisdom-meaning-life-three-animated-videos.htmlFollow Todd Stashwick @tstashwickTodd Stashwick's Nerd Circus To get in touch email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Dr Drea  Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinks

Actor and improv artist Todd Stashwick, self confessed purveyor of all things geeky, and Tiki aficionado, firmly believes that practical optimism, or as he refers to it, intentional positivity, can solve most of the problems we face in our lives. In this episode Todd discusses his 'optimism operating system' with co-hosts Dr Drea and Tom, a system rooted in a very practical Mid-Western Lutheran upbringing, shaped by a life of repeated rejections in the acting world, and illuminated by the insights of Alan Watts, the importance of play and getting right back up after being 'kicked in the optimism balls'.To get in touch email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Todd Stashwick @tstashwickTodd Stashwick's Nerd Circus can be found at thenerdcircus.comFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone Follow Optimist Drinks @optimistdrinks

It can be hard to recognise when you need to stop what you're doing and take rest, especially when people are relying on you; and particularly during these times. Ours is a society which celebrates overt displays of productivity;  'doing nothing' is seen as being lazy, work-shy or anti-social. Dr Drea and Tom explore the notion of active rest, and rest as resistance.Follow Christine Adams @officialchristineadams Her non-profit is @weareweseeyouHer School is morganoliverschool.orgTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

It is 2021 and the 3 Blokes are back! New year but same old three blokes and they are starting of Season 2 with a huge guest in Wakefield Trinity and England winger - Tom Johnstone! In a very honest and open interview. Tom tells Jamie, Jed and Joss about: - His beginnings in Rugby League - Coming through the youth academy at Wakefield Trinity - Other offers he had during the early part of his career - Not one...but TWO devastating ACL injuries - His England debut and some harsh words from Wayne Bennett and MUCH MUCH MORE!

Christine Adams is an actor, currently playing a lead role in CW's television series 'Black Lightning'. It's clear that working as an actor takes resilience, but it's her other life, that of a political activist and founder of a non-profit, set up to get the vote out in Georgia, that best demonstrates the depths of her gritty optimism. Her belief that if we take action, we can make meaningful change happen. A beautiful take on seizing small moments of joy amidst all the madness, and not turning away from the inequities we see around us every day, no matter where we are.Follow Christine Adams @officialchristineadams Her non-profit is @weareweseeyouHer School is  morganoliverschool.orgTo get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

It is easy to lose sight of the progress we are making as we work towards goals, whatever they may be; to lose heart because aren't happening as quickly or as radically as we might have hoped.  In this microcast, Dr Drea suggests that we pay more attention to what we are actually achieving, taking time to celebrate the small wins as a way to set ourselves up for long term success.To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone

Most of us make resolutions for the year ahead, and this year many of us doubled down, only to be find that by the end of January they lay in tatters by the empty pizza boxes and bottles; meditation apps floating untouched in the Cloud. In this practical micro-cast, Dr Drea Letamendi ask us to consider setting goals and intentions instead, as a way to bring about meaningful, long-term positive changes and a sense of achievement.To get in touch with us, email: podcast@optimistdrinks.comFor more about the show visit optimistdrinks.com and click on the journal pages.Follow Optimist drinks @optimistdrinksFollow Dr Drea Letamendi @arkhamasylumdocFollow Tom Johnstone @tommyjohnstone