E.w. Conundrum's Troubadours And Raconteurs Podcast

A taste - "We Are a Country Founded on Genocide & Built on Slavery." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 305 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 305 features a delightful conversation with Composer, Singer, and Activist - Nellie McKay. Nellie and I discuss Bob Dorough, Walt Whitman, Kindred Spirits, Being Over-educated, Being Taught to Stop Thinking for Ourselves, Jazz, David Byrne on His Bike, What It Means to Make It, Genocide, Slavery, Her New Album Sister Orchid, Her Invitation to Perform at the Kennedy Center, Interpreting Songs from the Great American Songbook, Our Messiah Complex, the Effectiveness of Our Political System, Localizing, Climate Change & Animal Agriculture... Episode 305 also includes an EW Essay titled "Luz." We share an excerpt from American poet Walt Whitman's brilliant piece "Song of Myself." We have a poem called "Hills of Chinchilla." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grap

"What Is Lost In A Culture That Oppresses Women?" We have for your listening pleasure Episode 304 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 304 features an insightful conversation with Activist, Playwright, Director, and Producer - Melissa Moschitto. Melissa and I discuss Her Story, Upstate Manhattan, Going to a Stage Production For Birthdays, Oppression, Her Show Artemisia's Intent, a Woman's Experience Now As Compared to a Woman's Experience 600 years Ago, Taylor Swift, Male Gatekeepers, How Theater Affects Social Change, Climate Change, Uplifting Unheard Voices... Episode 304 also includes an EW Essay titled "Revolution." We share another great essay written by our Associate Producer & Resident Essayist Dr. Michael Pavese from his Uncle Cesare series titled "My Father's Mustache."We have a poem called "Uncle, Tailor." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, Buddy Holly, Andre's Osborne, Aimee Mann, Woody Herman

"Trump Has Border Security Personality Disorder..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 303 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 303 features a fun filled conversation with Regular Contributor, our Resident Politico, Democratic Committee Member, and Chair of Pennsylvania's Progressive Caucus - Dwayne Heisler. Dwyane and I discuss the Capital City of Harrisburg, Two Inaugurations. Legalizing Marijuana, the Rural Bill of Rights, Our Disease in Democracy, Channeling Discontent, the Others, Indivisible, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King... Episode 303 also includes an EW Essay titled "Champagne, ." We share a humorous essay titled "Carterism" written by Teddy Wayne for the New Yorker magazine. We revel in the words and soul of the supreme Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We have a poem called "C'est La Vie." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, Ant-Flag, Vampire Weekend, Brett Newski, Lester Flatt & Earl

"That is the Best Definition of Theater I've ever heard..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 302 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 302 features a grand conversation with Renowned Nyc Actor, Playwright, Director and Sage - Austin Pendleton. Mr. Pendleton is presently starring in "Choir Boy" at the Manhattan Theater Club. Austin and I discuss Being a Director, Being an Actor, Leaving Your Ego at the Door, Parallel Universes, Choir Boy, Pulling Them Into the Story, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, the Best Definition of Theater, David Mamet's Phone Calls, Art As It Relates to Human Understanding & Justice, the Angriest Play Ever Written, Ordinary Conversations, the Future of Theater... Episode 302 also includes an EW Essay titled "Pendleton." We share another wonderfully crafted and beautifully read essay by our Associate Producer Dr. Michael Pavese titled "The Yellow Dress." We have a poem called "Mamet." Our music this go round is provided by these wonde

"We Are But Mere Mortals..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 301 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 301 features a somewhat philosophical conversation with regular contributor Almighty Todd. The Almighty is our Resident Philosopher, a Farmer and Winemaker living in Stockbridge, Vermont. Todd and I discuss Holiday Lights, Bodhisattvas, Keeping Yourself Together, Living an Examined Life, Clock Keeps on Ticking, Change, Jesuits, Indigenous Peoples, These Strange Days, Truth & Reconciliation, Fried Smelts with a Glass of Rose'... Episode 301 also includes an EW Essay titled "Up Vine." We share a piece by Riane Konc written for the New Yorker Magazine titled "Bad News, Good News." We have a poem called "Pretend." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, Steely Dan, Middle Kids, Ryan Adam's, Frank Black, Antonio Vivaldi, Frederico Agostino, the Pretenders, Branford Marsalis and Terrence Blanchard. Commer

"Feminism is a Support Group for White Women..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 300 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 300 features a compelling conversation with regular contributor Nash Rose. Ms. Rose is a Comedic Writer & Comedian living in New York City. Nash and I discuss Feminism, Impeachment, Millennial Mentality, Veganism, Black Lives, Comedy, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Dave Chappelle, Political Correctness, Social Media, the New Year.. Episode 300 also includes an EW Essay titled "Twenty Nineteen." Our Associate Producer Dr. Michael Pavese shares 3 pieces by A. A. Milne. We have a poem called "Sphinx." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, First Aid Kit, Tama Impala, Gabby Moreno & Van Dyke Parks, The Gypsy Hombres, Broadstrokes, Branford Marsalis and Terrence Blanchard. Commercial Free, Small Batch Radio Crafted In the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania... Heard All Over The Wo

"There Is No Self, There Is Only Self..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 299 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 299 features an insightful conversation with regular contributor Kitty Belle Burbank. Ms. Burbank is a Writer, Activist, Baker & Candlestick Maker. Kitty Belle and I discuss Family, Home, Identity, Being Independent, Being Alone, Parenting, Self, Change, Confidence, Derrida, Nietzsche, Cellular Memory, Power, Self-Oppression... and she shares an original poem titled "All You Want." This episode also includes an EW Essay titled "Breathe." We share several excerpts from Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hhan's book titled"How to Sit." We have a poem called "Crazy." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, the Beatles, Courtney Barnett, Mark Erelli, John Coltrane, Tyler Childers, Branford Marsalis and Terrence Blanchard. Commercial Free, Small Batch Radio Crafted In the Endless Mountains of Pennsyl

"Meryl Streep is the most confident person I have ever met..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 298 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 298 features a great conversation with NYC Actress and Writer Prudence Wright Holmes. Prudence and I discuss Moving to NYC to Be An Actress, Working with Meryl Streep, Woody Harrelson, and the Coen Brothers. We also discuss a bit about Harper Lee, Truman Capote, Roger Ailes, Being Sexually Harassed While Dressed as Santa... Episode 298 also includes an EW Essay titled "Root." Our Associate Producer Dr. Michael Pavese shares a piece titled " I am Waiting,"written by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. We have a poem called "Happiness." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, the Four Freshmen, Phoebe Bridgers, TLC, Lyle Lovett & Katt Edmondson, Vince Guaraldi, Branford Marsalis and Terrence Blanchard. Commercial Free, Small Batch Radio Crafted In the Endless Mountains of Penns

"Power attracts the worse in us and the worst among us..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 297 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure" Episode 297 features a radical conversation with Writer, Musician, Cultural Critic, and Our Resident Global Hobo JQ. We have a conversation as he sits in his humble abode in the South of France JQ and I discuss the NFL as a Living Metaphor for America, George H. W. Bush, Rewriting History, Hunter S. Thompson, Lord of the Rings, Power, Hopes & Predictions for the New Year... Episode 297 also includes an EW Essay titled "Surprise." We share a piece titled "The Bush League,"written by Hunter S. Thompson. We have a poem called "Shameless." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, the Velvet Underground, Susana Baca, JQ, Slothrust, Wilco, Branford Marsalis and Terrence Blanchard. Commercial Free, Small Batch Radio Crafted In the Moosic Mountains of Pennsylvania... Heard All Over Th

"It's like the Reagan years have festered into a boil..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 296 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 296 features a great conversation with Writer, Actor, Theater Director, and Activist John Pivovarnick. John and I discuss How He Developed a Love for Theater and Literature, Kurt Vonnegut, His Recently Published Novel "Tales From The Back of The Bus," Being Stoned via Hash Brownies on a Bus in Los Angeles, Parallels Between Reagan & Trump, Being Gay in the 1980s, Having His Congress People on Speed Dial... Episode 296 also includes an EW Essay titled "Sore Throat." We share another wonderfully written and beautifully read essay by our Associate Producer & Resident Essayist Dr. Michael Pavese, titled "Bowling Night." We have a poem called "Grail." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, Brett Newski, Courtney Barnett, 10cc, Mipso, Lou Rawls, Branford Marsalis and Ter

Hey babe your hair's all right, hey babe let's go out tonight... We have for your listening pleasure Episode 295 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 295 features a raucous conversation with regular contributor, our Resident Historian - Serf William. The serf and I discuss Capitalism, Xenophobia, Our Founding Fathers, Myths of the American Revolution, Being Indoctrinated with the Notion of American Exceptionalism, White Nationalists & Progressives, Blinded by Racism to Vote Against One's Own Self Interests, the Declaration of Independence, Hope's & Wishes... This episode also includes an EW Essay titled "Brother Brian." We share an excerpt from Howard Zinn's great work of history "A People's History of the U.S." We have a poem called "Overstuffed." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, the Beastie Boys, David Bowie, Kirsty MaCool, Willie Nelson & Toots Hibbert, Death Cab for Cutie, Branford Marsalis

Simple Truths When Storytelling Resonate... We have for your listening pleasure Episode 294 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 294 features a compelling conversation with Author, Columnist, Singer, Teacher, Critic & Opera Lover Conrad L. Osborne. Conrad talks with us as he sits in his Upper West Side Studio in Manhattan. We Discuss His Recently Published, Highly Acclaimed Book Titled "Opera as Opera, The State of the Art," the Artistic Predicament of Opera, the Lack of Verve in Contemporary Compositions, Parallels with the Challenges Jazz Faces Attracting New Artists & Fans, Postmodernist Philosophers' Distaste for Meta-narratives, Storytelling, the Future of Opera, Art & Humanity... This episode includes an EW Essay titled "French Toast." We share another finely crafted, beautifully read essay from our Associate Producer Dr. Michael Pavese titled "Coaltown Cinema." We have a poem called "A Note." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artist

"Living Your Life With Dignity..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 291 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." This week we have an earnest and important conversation with Regular Contributor Dwayne Heisler. Dwayne is a Political Activist, the Chair of the Pennsylvania State Progressive Caucus, and a Union Organizer. He has with him a colleague in Union work & Voter Canvassing Tonya Morrow of the S.E.I.U. We three discuss Pennsylvania As A Swing State, the Democratic Party, the Importance of Unions in the U.S., Why People Vote Against Their Own Self Interest, the American Dream, How Our Democracy Is Under Attack, Everyone Being Able to Live Life With Dignity... Episode 291 includes an EW Essay titled "What Is Real." We share an essay by Ann Beattie published in the New Yorker magazine titled "How to Think Through Finding a Lost Shoe." We have a poem called "Catalytic." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, Ja

"Slouching Toward Facisim..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 290 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 290 features a grand conversation with Poet, Novelist, Biographer, Screenwriter,and Critic the great Jay Parini. Mr. Parini's acclaimed novel The Last Station – was made into an Academy Award-nominated film starring Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer. Jay talks with us from his office at Middlebury College in Vermont. We discuss Me Too, Monster Artists, Seperating an Artist's Work from Their Personal Life, Meeting Gore Vidal, His Upcoming Film Starring Kevin Spacey as Gore Vidal, Can't Trust Republicans with the Economy, Slouching Toward Facism, Journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Books as a Ladder to Heaven, Grandma Could've Beat Trump... This Episode also includes an EW Essay titled "Luxury." We have another wonderful essay from our Associate Producer Dr. Michael Pavese ( aka Uncle Cesare) Titled "Rotogravure."We have a poem called "Gazoontight." Our music th

"I Was Reading Turkish Poetry in the Garden..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 289 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 289 features a fascinating conversation with regular contributor Poet Vagabond JQ. JQ talks with us from his place in Southern France. We discuss a Slug Phase, Elites Acting Like Spoiled Children, Being Cyborgs, the Millenial Woop, Human Behavior Becoming an Anachronism, Lollipops, Music, Poetry... This episode also includes an EW Essay titled "Seamless Supermen." We have an article from the New Yorker Magazine written by Michael Shulman Titled "Bee Cops." We have a poem called "Cyborg." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, the Cars, Haley Heynderix, JQ, Hurray for Riff Raff, Soul Coughing, Branford Marsalis and Terrence Blanchard. Commercial Free, Small Batch Radio Crafted In the Moosic Mountains of Pennsylvania... Heard All Over The World. Tell your Friends and

I've Been Up All Night Leaning on the Windowsill..." We have archived for your listening pleasure Episode 288 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 288 features a very insightful & intelligent conversation with Vermont Gubernatorial Nominee for the Democratic Party Christine Hallquist. Ms. Hallquist is the first Transgender Nominee for a Governor's seat in U. S. History. We discuss Rural Poverty, Being Transgender and Running for Governor, How Transitioning Has Made Her a Better Leader, Fear & Leadership, Dog Whistle Politics, This Rigged System, the Koch Brothers and Other Oligarchical Despots, Climate Change, Economic Growth Via Renewable Energy, Labels, Hate & Hope on the Campaign Trail, Good People... This episode also includes an EW Essay titled "A Bit Late." We have another wonderfully crafted essay from our Associate Producer and Resident Essayist Dr. Michael Pavese (aka Uncle Cesare) Titled "The World Is Yours Boys." We have a poem called "Ensemble." Our mus

"Feminists Don't Have a Sense of Humor..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 287 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 287 features a poignant conversation with regular contributor Artist, Songwriter, Musician LittleStarRun. We discuss Men Harming Women to Fit in With Other Men, Selective Misogyny, Me Too, Self Deception, Being Locked in a NYC Cab, Staying Good Inside... This episode also includes an EW Essay titled "Say Something." We share an excerpt from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.We have a poem called "Slide Trombone." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, Horse Feathers, Khruangbig, cellardoor/ LittleStarRun, Nellie McKay, Jimi Hendrix, Branford Marsalis and Terrence Blanchard. Commercial Free, Small Batch Radio Crafted In the Moosic Mountains of Pennsylvania... Heard All Over The World. Tell your Friends and Neighbors...

"Where You Can Penetrate Every Place You Go..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 286 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." This go round we have a set of two friends to converse with, writers Traci Medford Rosow and Kevin Coughlin. Together they wrote the best selling book "Unblinded: One Mans Courageous Journey through Darkness to Sight." It chronicles Kevin's remarkable story of darkness and reemergence into physical and metaphorical light. Traci, Kevin and I discuss How They Met in Their Manhattan Neighborhood Soon After Kevin Regained His Sight, The 16 Plus Years of Personal Struggle Dealing with The Stresses that Came with Becoming Blind, Alcoholism, Bitterness, Reawakening, Meditation. a Medical Miracle, Friendship, Hope ... This week's sixty minutes includes an EW Essay titled "Judging." We share another poignant essay by our Associate Producer Dr. Michael Pavese titled "Our Town." We have a poem called "The Lamp Factory." Our music is provided by th

"I Got This Feeling that Today is The Day..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 285 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure." Episode 285 takes us on a walk to have a great conversation with regular contributor Writer, Community Activist, Baker & Candlestick-maker Kitty Belle Burbank. Kitty Belle and I discuss the Power of First Hand Experiences, an Art Exhibit in Pittsburgh at the Carnegie Museum of Art featuring Joan Mitchell, the Effect of Two Heroin Addicts Sleeping & Waking on A Picnic Table at Nay Aug Park, the Virgin Mary, Fear Projection, Traveling to the Pacific Ocean, Reconnecting with One's Self... Episode 285 also includes an EW Essay titled "Soliloquy." We share an essay by the great Joan Didion titled "Guaymas, Sonora." We have a poem called "Marquez." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, America, Devotchka, Ani DiFranco, el Buscupies, the Greatful Dead, Dr. Dog, Branford Marsalis and Terrenc

"Call The Karma Police..." We have for your listening pleasure Episode 284 of "Troubadours and Raconteurs with E.W. Conundrum Demure. Episode 284 features a grand conversation with acclaimed singer, actor, writer, Buddhist, Eric Swanson. Eric and I discuss His Journey, the Guidance of His Mother, Good Teachers, the Link Between Language and Acting, What Really Moves People, Gay Homophobia, Violence Influenced by the Bible, Buddhism, Studying with the Great Lamas... Episode 284 also includes an EW Essay titled "Love Is the Drug." We share the first Uncle Cesare essay of the 2018-2019 season written by our Associate Producer Dr. Michael Pavese titled "Why Dimmy Why?" We have a poem called "Buddhist Logic." Our music this go round is provided by these wonderful artists: Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli, Radio Head, Del Shannon, Super Organism, Glenn Miller, the Heartless Bastards, Branford Marsalis and Terrence Blanchard. Commercial Free, Small Batch Radio Crafted In the Moosic Mountains of Pennsylvania