EP 221: LORE's Aaron Mahnke on Monstrous Creatures & Dark History
Aaron Mahnke, host of LORE podcast, shares the real history behind the legends of ghosts, vampires and werewolves, and how our scary folktales say a lot about our attitudes toward women, outsiders, and those who are different. He talks about the spiritualism craze of the turn of the century, the most sadistic witch hunters throughout the ages, as well as the Jersey Devil, the Beast of Bray road, gremlins, fairies and more. Subscribe to LORE podcast on Apple Podcasts or where
EP 220: Ron Chernow on Redeeming Ulysses S. Grant
Pulitzer-winning author/historian Ron Chernow (Alexander Hamilton, Washington: A Life) wants Americans to rethink the 18th President with his new biography GRANT. He discusses Ulysses S. Grant’s drinking and early failures, his meteoric rise through the ranks during the Civil War, and how Grant struggled with his own personal civil war at home. He makes the case for General Grant as a brilliant military strategist, and argues that he deserves more credit for holding the Uni
EP 219: Sir Richard Branson on his Adventures in Business, Space, & Beyond
Sir Richard Branson talks about The Virgin Group philosophy, why he likes to act fast when launching a new business, and how many of his best ideas came from his own desires and frustrations as a consumer. He gives advice to young entrepreneurs and shares what he’s learned from his mistakes. He reveals his reasons for selling Virgin America to Alaska Air, and he outlines his vision of the future with Virgin Galactic and his latest venture Virgin Hyperloop One. Plus he talk
EP 218: King of Cards Richard Turner
Richard Turner is the greatest card magician in the world and the subject of a new documentary called DEALT. He’s virtually never seen without a deck in his hands, and today he fesses up to shuffling cards in the movies, during church and even while making love to his wife! He shares why he doesn’t like to be called a magician or an illusionist, he discuss some of the less than ethical origins of card trickery, and talks about the man who mentored him in card manipulation.
EP 217: Astronaut Scott Kelly's Year in Space
Astronaut Captain Scott Kelly talks about his year on the International Space Station, including how it pushed his body the limit, why the hardest physical test was re-adjusting to life on earth, and how his experience could get NASA one step closer to a manned mission to Mars. He reveals how he combatted boredom in space, what he missed most about earth, and how he got along with his Russian crew-mates amid strained US-Russia relations. Plus Scott tells me if the "overview
EP 216: Anthony Bourdain Wants to End Food Waste
Anthony Bourdain speaks candidly about the problem of food waste, who is to blame, and who is working on solutions. He discusses how he and his fellow chefs have been fighting this battle for years in their own kitchens, including embracing the "snout to tail" movement, renaming so called "trash fish," and even turning table scraps into delicious pork. He also shares how he manages to juggle his a hectic travel schedule, waxes about his love of Vietnam, and reveals some of
EP 215: Grouchy Historians Ed Asner & Ed. Weinberger
Ed Asner and Ed. Weinberger discuss their book The Grouchy Historian: An Old-Time Lefty Defends Our Constitution Against Right-Wing Hypocrites and Nutjobs. They talk about the surprising origins of the Bill of Rights, their problem with Constitutional "originalists," and the motives, disagreements and private doubts of the founding fathers. They tackle Republicans from Ted Cruz to Clarence Thomas and chastise Democrats for ceding the Constitution to Conservatives. Plus Ed
EP 214: Merry Mortician Caitlin Doughty on Changing Americans' Attitudes Toward Death & Dyin
Mortician, author and activist Caitlin Doughty discusses her new book From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death. She reveasl how America’s funeral industrial complex overcharges and overregulates how we say goodbye to our loved ones and how funerals went from private family affairs to big business in just a century. She shares how people around the world honor the dead including villagers in Indonesia who sleep, eat, and interact with their deceased
EP 213: Bill Murray & Jan Vogler Explore New Worlds of Music, Poetry & Humor
Actor Bill Murray (Lost in Translation, Rushmore) & classical cellist Jan Vogler discuss how their album New Worlds evolved out of a chance meeting on a flight from Berlin to NYC and a mutual love of music and poetry. Plus, Bill Murray shares his philosophy of life, his favorite American humorists, and his thoughts on being an internet folk hero. New Worlds is available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, or wherever you buy music. Bill and Jan's concert tour begins Friday, October
