What happens when a country hands the keys to a werewolf?

More broadly, I discuss Latin America's far-right shift.

When we think about fairy tales, most of us picture the cleaned-up versions. Soft edges. Clear morals. Princesses who suffer quietly until someone saves them. These are the Victorian-era revisions many of us grew up with, stories that have been sanded down to feel safe, instructive, and polite.

But that’s not where these stories began...

Today, I'm talking about a song that lives at the crossroads of pop music and movie history. It’s called “Romancing the Stone”, and it comes from Eddy Grant in 1984. It was also made to promote a film of the same name.

There's a lot I could take about regarding Trump, like the Epstein files.

But today I'm talking about a building.

But really, I'm talking about power.

And the line between law and ego.

A fan of Myles Kennedy asked me to post the full video version, so here it is! Now you can see my goofy face, in addition ti hearing my goofy voice.

Welcome back. Today we’re talking about Ty Segall — the 2017 self-titled album by Ty Segall. Not the first one. The second. And that detail actually matters.

Today, I'm talking about a surprisingly common pattern in predators, both living and extinct. It’s a dental setup where teeth are concentrated toward the front of the jaws, while the back of the mouth has fewer teeth or none at all.

Also, what's a key difference between alligators and crocodiles? It's all right here!

IMAGE CREDIT: Some joke on Reddit. Not sure of the original source.

Today we’re digging into Highway 61 Revisited, the 1965 Bob Dylan album that marked the moment he threw himself fully into electric rock. If you know even a little Dylan, you know this is the record that split audiences, rewired songwriting, and helped move popular music into a new era.

Today, I want to talk about something that, at first glance, looks like a routine university course offering. But somehow, it ends up tangled in a much bigger fight. A fight over science, education, and who knowledge is supposed to be for.

I will also discuss how outrage against the course ties into a broader war on science and education overall...

IMAGE: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. swam in Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek, a waterway known to be contaminated with high levels of bacteria and fecal matter from sewer runoff, despite explicit warnings from the National Park Service (NPS). Swimming in D.C. waterways has been banned for over 50 years due to the health risks. 

Kennedy currently serves as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

In this episode, Trump urges Americans to keep waiting for his glorious golden age benefits to roll in. I also discuss the co-author of Art of the Deal, and how, despite helping Trump significantly image-wise, he went on to become a critic. I also talk about a former Disney CEO.

Full, live video version available if there's enough demand. Personally, I don't need to see my goofy face (hearing my goofy voice is enough). BUT if enough people out there wat to see the full video version, let me know in the comments.

I semi-apologize for the image quality of the main photo, but we were using Zoom so what are you gonna do?

Anyway, here I talk to Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge / Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. This was originally for an interview article, but everyone in conversation agreed it could double as a podcast episode.

To be honest, I wasn't very familiar with Alter Bridge before this interview, but you know what? Practically everyone at least knows who Slash is, and Myles plays in a band with Slash. Alter Bridge is also a respected band among modern guitarists, with Myles and Mark Tremonti often seen as among those guitarists who "keep rock alive."

Today I want to talk - at least tangentially - about two classic stories almost everyone knows: Cinderella and Aladdin...

Let's talk about a mythological creature called The Axehandle Hound.

Main image from "Cryptid Wiki."

There’s a common mistake people make when they look at ancient epics, especially Greek ones. They assume these stories are just primitive attempts to explain cruelty. Bad things happen because the gods are petty. Lightning strikes because Zeus is angry. Suffering gets shrugged off as fate.

But that reading misses the point.

When we teach folktales, we often treat them like containers.

Open the story. Extract the lesson. Close the book.

Be kind. Be brave. Don’t lie.

Message received. Next story.

But what if that’s the least interesting thing a folktale can do?

In 2003, The Mars Volta released De-Loused in the Comatorium — an album that didn’t just enter the world of rock music… it detonated inside it.

A chaotic, beautiful, terrifying journey through addiction, hallucination, and rebirth.

Part punk, part jazz, part cosmic meltdown.

This was no ordinary debut.

Cover art from Gold Standard Laboratories / Universal Records / Strummer., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1661149

I'm going to look at Trump the pirate. Also: How Nancy Reagan actually helped create the scenario we are in, and how her story reflects conservative or right-wing hypocrisy. Also also: I look at one of the unique scandals of Charlton Heston and how that issue could be unifying between both traditional conservatives and the far left...but sadly isn't.

I get into how thinking about magical realism as a narrative mode is fascinating, and how it encourages a person to think about narrative modes in general, and the almost magical (and sometimes bizarre, powerful, and potentially frightening) nature of words.

Apologies if I covered some pf these Yooper topics before...but I also don't have that many regular listeners anyway, so it probably works out.

The big lie is still a big lie.