Best Greg Brownderville Podcasts (2024)

1
184: Bobby Abtahi unpacks the raw deal on Fair Park 28:01

24d ago28:01

28:01

If you listened to the previous episode of EarBurner (and you should), you know that Bobby Abtahi was sitting at the table at the Old Monk as Matt and Tim interviewed Mike Rawlings. When they finished the episode with the former mayor, Abtahi, a former president of the Dallas Park Board, having consumed a statistically significant number of beers, …

1
183: Mike Rawlings on Props S, T, and U 1:06:19

30d ago1:06:19

1:06:19

On your November ballot, there will appear 18 proposed amendments to the Dallas city charter, which is quite something. Three of those props—S, T, and U—if they were to pass, would throw the city into chaos. The 59th mayor of Dallas joined Matt and Tim at the Old Monk to talk about why that's the case. While Rawlings (aka His Worship) refused to sp…

1
GBD27: How I Became a Poet 49:57

1M ago49:57

49:57

In this episode I am interviewed by Robert Ehlert of the SMU Perspectives podcast.By Greg Brownderville

1
SMU Poet Greg Brownderville: medium for a multitasking muse 48:45

1M ago48:45

48:45

We waited to release our latest episode of SMU Perspectives Podcast until October because it’s the month of Halloween and pumpkins and things that go bump in the night. Our guest, SMU English Professor/Poet Greg Brownderville, hails from Pumpkin Bend, Ark., where folklore holds court like a poet-in-residence. It wafts through the Mississippi Delta …

1
Listening is key to civil conversations — even during a contentious election year. 33:10

2M ago33:10

33:10

In this polarized world it's easy to imagine civility is dead — or at least has one foot in the grave. Dare we try to have an impromptu conversation about presidential politics, religion, guns, abortion or Israel-Gaza, many of us might fall prey to our emotions and the physical hackles rippling through our bodies. But it doesn't have to be that way…

1
GBD26: Speaking in Tongues and Cultural Recovery 29:03

4M ago29:03

29:03

In this episode I discuss the connection between ecstatic worship practices in twelfth-century Wales and those of twentieth-century Wales. I show how Pentecostal worship in the early twentieth century brought Welsh worshippers closer to their own ancestral language and its rich literary history. Later in the video, I link Welsh and Lebanese Penteco…

1
GBD25: Mysterious Welsh Bread 12:21

5M ago12:21

12:21

In this episode I offer a new way of interpreting the fascinating and mysterious bread imagery in folktales about marriages between Welsh faery women and mortal men.By Greg Brownderville

1
182: Barak Epstein previews the Oak Cliff Film Festival 55:57

5M ago55:57

55:57

The Oak Cliff Film Fest runs this year from June 20–23. Barak is one of the smartest, funniest dudes in Dallas, so it's always a pleasure to have him on the pod to talk about the film festival he co-founded. Tim struggles with the buttons and levers to play sound from the movies' trailers. Zac and Barak demonstrate their pop-culture literacy. Oh, a…

1
GBD24: Let's Try This Again 12:36

5M ago12:36

12:36

A number of people in nineteenth-century Wales claimed faery ancestry. Specifically, they said a woman of the tylwyth teg (the "beautiful family," or Welsh faeries) had married a mortal Welshman, and that they were her descendants. In this episode I point up some parallels between these nineteenth-century oral histories and much earlier Welsh stori…

1
181: Julia Heaberlin thrills us 57:03

6M ago57:03

57:03

In another lifetime, Julia was Tim's boss at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Now she's a best-selling author with six novels to her credit. Her latest is Night Will Find You. Zac gives it five stars. Tim confesses he hasn't yet read it, but that doesn't stop him from reading to Julia the worst review of the book he could find on Amazon. Other stuff y…

1
GBD23: Experience the 2024 Eclipse Through Poetry 16:46

6M ago16:46

16:46

In this episode my poetry students at SMU invite you into the experience of 2024's total eclipse in Dallas, Texas, which occurred last month. The students talk about what it was like to see the eclipse, and then they read poems they wrote only fifteen minutes after totality.By Greg Brownderville

1
180: Mark Melton fights illegal evictions 52:10

6M ago52:10

52:10

In the May issue of D Magazine, Matt Goodman wrote a story titled "The Lawyer Who Landlords Don't Want to See in Court." That would be Mark. Sort of by accident, he started the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center, which now employs 18 people. On a per capita basis, A LOT of people get evicted in Dallas. That's because the justice of the peace courts wh…

1
GBD22: Getting Married to Faeries, Magical Pigs, and Mike Tyson’s Beowulf Moment 31:10

6M ago31:10

31:10

In this episode I respond to questions from viewers, discussing (1) the faery blood running in Welsh veins, (2) the magical pigs in The Four Branches of the Mabinogi and the connection between dreams and myths, and (3), just for fun, the upcoming Mike Tyson / Jake Paul fight and how it relates to Beowulf, Toby Keith, and the Spoon River Anthology. …

1
GBD21: Welsh Magic 37:37

6M ago37:37

37:37

In this episode I discuss the meaning of the magical force of awen in Welsh culture and interpret a few stories about the tylwyth teg (the Welsh faeries).By Greg Brownderville

1
GBD20: The Magic of May Day 37:12

7M ago37:12

37:12

In this episode I talk with renowned British historian Ronald Hutton about May Eve and May Day. Ronald offers tips as to how we might celebrate this wondrous holiday and weave it into our lives.By Greg Brownderville

1
Cumbersome permitting processes will delay clean energy initiatives 10-15 years 28:56

7M ago28:56

28:56

The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022 seemed like a green light for long-awaited clean energy initiatives. But as James Coleman — an energy law professor at SMU Dallas points out — then reality set in. The $400 Billion to $1.2 Trillion set aside for our green energy dreams was stalled by cumbersome permitting processes to build …

1
179: James Faust loves movies more than you do 1:00:34

7M ago1:00:34

1:00:34

James is the artistic director of the Dallas International Film Festival, which runs from April 25 through May 2. We talked about how many movies he had to watch to pick the 145 (so far) that will screen this year. We talked about how much he cries and why his back is giving him so much trouble and whether Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn get back…

1
178: Megan Kimble on why highways kill cities 49:07

7M ago49:07

49:07

Megan spent four years researching and writing her new book, City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways. Here's what Richard Florida said about it: "City Limits is a triumph. Megan Kimble echoes Robert Caro exposing how powerful groups like TxDOT are able to take away people’s homes, destroy their neighborhoods, a…

1
177: Mike Mooney's sex-trafficking podcast 52:50

7M ago52:50

52:50

Mike used to work at D Magazine. Now he doesn't. But he's got a new podcast that dropped April 11 on Audible. It is titled Hold Fast. Over nine episodes, Mike and two other journalists (Sam Eifling and Trevor Aaronson) chronicle the rise and fall of Backpage.com, the Dallas-born classified ad site that a federal prosecutor called "the world’s large…

1
176: Greg Brownderville starts a literary festival 52:30

7M ago52:30

52:30

Greg is an SMU professor who hails from Pumpkin Bend, Arkansas. He's also the lead singer for Beekeeper Spaceman and the editor of the Southwest Review. It is under the auspices of the latter that he is launching a new literary festival. Frontera runs April 12 and 13 in three Oak Cliff venues (Wild Detectives, the Texas Theatre, and the Kessler The…

1
GBD19: Celebrating Hen Galan, the "Old New Year," in Wales 53:29

8M ago53:29

53:29

In this episode I tell about my recent experience celebrating a West Wales holiday called Hen Galan ("the Old New Year"). The centerpiece of the episode is my conversation with a young man named Carwyn, for whom Hen Galan and the historic pub where it is celebrated are of deep emotional and cultural importance. Bessie Davies, the woman and pub owne…

1
175: Joel Klatt on the new UFL 24:56

8M ago24:56

24:56

You probably know Joel from his appearances on the Ticket and his Fox Sports work on college football. Along with Curt Menefee, he'll be calling the first-ever United Football League game, at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, March 30, at noon. We got the breakdown on the game, but we also talked with him about why specialization in youth sports is lou…

1
174: Troy Aikman's many slights 1:03:51

8M ago1:03:51

1:03:51

Over the years, starting in 1992, D Magazine has unintentionally caused the man grief. In this episode, Tim and Zac run through the slights—but only to properly apologize. Also to give Zac a moment to humble-brag. For reference, here is what Eric Celeste's 1992 profile of Aikman looked like with the dumb "Troy Aikman Won't Dance" headline. Here's A…

1
SMU Dallas law school clinic rescues women classified as 'criminalized survivors' 24:36

8M ago24:36

24:36

One of the tragic ironies that domestic violence victims face is that they sometimes get arrested and even jailed during the very episode wherein they were abused. Case in point is a Texas woman who was date raped, abandoned in the driveway of a DFW home where she was later arrested for DWI and incarcerated. Law students of the Judge Elmo B. Hunter…

1
173: World Cup and Arlington mess 44:16

9M ago44:16

44:16

Right here you've got another chat recorded on the shady side of White Rock Lake, at Goodfriend. The boys tackle the goofiness of what one local official said about transportation to World Cup matches in Arlington. E.g.: "[W]e wish to have an aggressive travel demand management program to encourage our residents to participate in FIFA." Also they t…

1
172: A giraffe death and the mayor's shoes 41:21

10M ago41:21

41:21

We're doing a thing. Sometimes we'll have a guest on the pod, sure. But sometimes (if we stick with it), Tim and Zac will simply go to a bar near their houses (Goodfriend) and chop it up as a duo, like Simon and Garfunkel. The hatred for each other will still be there, but they'll make beautiful music together. In this episode, the boys talk about …

1
How retail investor 'superpowers' can be sequel to "Dumb Money" film 15:44

10M ago15:44

15:44

SMU Dallas law professor Christina Sautter is an expert on the type of youthful "retail investors" depicted in the hit film, "Dumb Money," a comedic but serious look at what happened during the GameStop stock episode of 2021. The cast (including Pete Davidson, Paul Dano, America Ferrara , Nick Offerman and Seth Rogen) carries out a David vs. Goliat…

1
171: Casey Gerald on Erykah Badu 1:19:19

10M ago1:19:19

1:19:19

Casey is one of the most committed magazine writers working today. When he profiled Leon Bridges for Texas Monthly, he rented a house and bought a crazy-expensive shirt to establish a connection with the recording artist. For his profile of Erykah Badu that ran in the January issue of D Magazine, he hired a team of researchers to help him understan…

1
GBD18: A Pumpkin Bend Christmas 45:32

11M ago45:32

45:32

For this special Christmas edition of GBD, I set up in my dad's shop in Pumpkin Bend, Arkansas, and talked with him about what Christmas has meant to him through the different stages of his life.By Greg Brownderville

1
GBD17: Working Men, Fighting Men (featuring Johnson, Dylan, Haggard, and Heidegger) 45:05

11M ago45:05

45:05

In this episode I discuss the personalities of professional fighters Alexander Volkanovski and Tyson Fury in connection with three songs by Robert Johnson, Merle Haggard, and Bob Dylan. Purchase Beekeeper Spaceman here: https://shop.bandwear.com/products/be... "Workin’ Man Blues" by Merle Haggard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EwK0... "Workingma…

1
170: Tim DeLaughter Broke His Depression With a New Album 48:22

1y ago48:22

48:22

Tim is a Lakewood dad with four kids and a wife who runs a restaurant (Lounge Here) to which he is sometimes summoned to do handyman work. He's also a rockstar, making his name first with Tripping Daisy and now serving as frontman for The Polyphonic Spree. The latter is dropping a new album, Salvage Enterprise, on November 17. We talked with Tim ab…

1
GBD16: How to Celebrate Michaelmas, a Forgotten Fall Holiday 26:46

1y ago26:46

26:46

In this episode I describe the forgotten fall holiday called Michaelmas, give my thoughts on its meaning, and offer some ideas about how to celebrate it.By Greg Brownderville

1
169: Joshua Ray Walker Almost Could Have Died 1:05:29

1y ago1:05:29

1:05:29

Start here if you don't know who Joshua Ray Walker is. Short version: Rolling Stone said of Josh: "country's most fascinating young songwriter is a baby-faced, 6XL guitar hero with a Dwight Yoakam voice and songs about suicide and boat-show models." We began our conversation at the Old Monk with Josh telling the story about how he wound up in the h…

1
168: A Spy Novel by a Former CIA Officer 48:39

1y ago48:39

48:39

David McCloskey used to work in the CIA. Now he's a novelist and does most of his writing in coffee shops on Greenville Avenue. Which ones? He wouldn't say. Even after Zac and Tim subjected him to extraordinary rendition, he wouldn't break. He also declined to read a sex scene from his new novel, Moscow X, so Tim did the honors, which was gross. Fo…

1
167: A Drunken Conversation Over a Long Meal 1:13:36

1y ago1:13:36

1:13:36

This one is a bit of an experiment. When we learned that Catbird, a fancy "Best of Big D" award-winning joint in downtown Dallas' Thompson hotel, was launching a 10-course tasting menu where each course was accompanied by a cocktail and that Catbird would let us preview the experience before the unwashed masses could get their unwashed mouths on it…

1
GBD15: Poems for Autumn 11:06

1y ago11:06

11:06

The scorching triple-digit heat in Texas (where I live) certainly isn't giving anyone a fall feeling, so I'm turning to autumnal poetry to change the emotional weather. In this episode I read and discuss seven poems that convey the enchantment of autumn. I recorded the video for this episode with my phone in a hotel room; forgive the less-than-amaz…

1
166: The Forest Theater and Sunny South Dallas 56:12

1+ y ago56:12

56:12

OK, first Zac and Tim talked a bit about how to pronounce Lionel Messi's name and whether his recent performance in Frisco (which Zac witnessed in person) is one of the top five sports moments in the history of North Texas. THEN the lads turned their attention to the wonderful Elizabeth Wattley, president and CEO of Forest Forward, the group workin…

1
165: Life and Death and Basketball 47:42

1+ y ago47:42

47:42

Michael Sorrell is the president of Paul Quinn, the oldest historically Black college west of the Mississippi. He died in 2008. True story. The man's heart stopped, and his girlfriend Natalie (now wife) performed CPR until medics could arrive and shock him back to life. So we talked about the fact that he's our first undead guest on EarBurner. And …

1
GBD14: The Bead Spitter 18:04

1+ y ago18:04

18:04

This episode kicks off a special series on poetics, built around the idea of “wordhood.” I discuss a Dakota myth called "The Killing of Bead-Spitter" and why it matters to me.By Greg Brownderville

1
164: Nick Badovinus, Dallas Restaurants, and Radio 1:02:15

1+ y ago1:02:15

1:02:15

Nick is in the pantheon of Dallas chefs. His new(ish) joint, the Brass Ram, in the East Quarter of downtown Dallas, occupies a space that once housed the broadcast studio for KLIF, one of the most important stations in the history of American radio. The space, called the Triangle Point Building, also once housed the Dallas Observer. So we bellied u…

1
GBD13: The Case for Dylan Thomas 41:22

1+ y ago41:22

41:22

On March 12, 2015, I gave this interview and lecture on Welsh poet Dylan Thomas at the Allen Public Library (TX) for its Celtic Month.By Greg Brownderville

1
163: Oak Cliff Film Festival 2023 50:48

1+ y ago50:48

50:48

Barak Epstein from the historic Texas Theatre joins us to preview the 2023 edition of the Oak Cliff Film Festival, which runs June 22–25. Movies discussed (some with confusing sound from their trailers!): Going Varsity in Mariachi, The Lost World, Quantum Cowboys, Walker, Stand By for Failure, Don't Fall in Love With Yourself, The Adults, and Earth…

1
162: Dallas Noir Film Fest 48:14

1+ y ago48:14

48:14

Once upon a time, Tim was a schoolmate at K.B. Polk Elementary with a guy named David Hale Smith. That fellow wound up becoming kind of a big-deal literary agent, even though DHS wouldn't tell us how much he earned last year. Be that as it may, DHS is part of a cabal responsible for the Dallas Noir Film Festival, which runs May 17–20 ("cabal" is a …

1
GBD12: Living the Lore (with Ronald Hutton) 26:15

1+ y ago26:15

26:15

In this episode I speak with Professor Ronald Hutton in his office at the University of Bristol, discussing the value of participatory, experiential folklore scholarship: living the lore rather than studying it aloofly. Afterward, by way of example, I tell how my own direct experience of the May this year has deepened my understanding of the holida…

1
GBD11: The Magic of May Day 22:02

1+ y ago22:02

22:02

In this episode I talk about a largely forgotten holiday called the May: May Eve (30 April) and May Day (1 May). I also discuss the mysterious May carols, which were traditionally sung this time of year.By Greg Brownderville

1
161: Abraham Alexander is the next big thing 44:27

1+ y ago44:27

44:27

Abraham Alexander is buds with Leon Bridges, a connection that helped him get into the studio to record his debut album, SEA/SONS, which dropped April 14. Zac profiled Abraham for the June issue of D Magazine. In this episode, Zac and Tim talk about the profile-writing process, why more than a few musicians have wanted to punch Zac, and how much (o…

1
160: The most expensive bed in Dallas 48:59

1+ y ago48:59

48:59

Would you spend $500,000 on a bed? The Swedish company Hästens thinks some of you in town will. They just opened a new store in Dallas. Tim and Zac talk about that and about why Tim sleeps on his couch. BUT WAIT. You're more interested in the Stars' chances in the playoffs? StrongSide editor Mike "The Looch" Piellucci joins us at 17:00 to talk hock…

1
GBD10: Ronald Hutton 46:50

1+ y ago46:50

46:50

This episode is a conversation with the eminent historian Ronald Hutton. I wanted to talk with him partly because I’m fascinated by obscure British holidays and how they add color, meaning, enchantment, and fun to the calendar, a topic on which Professor Hutton is the world’s leading authority. If you happen to share this interest, I highly recomme…

1
159: The allure of Western snap shirts 37:36

1+ y ago37:36

37:36

Y'all, get ready. Tim and Zac are about to become proper influencers. For the first time, they are reviewing a product, a Western pearl-snap shirt made by a Dallas outfit called Snaps Clothing. They talk about the 1978 movie that allegedly launched the Western snap shirt, why Zac's parents made fun of him for wearing snap shirts as a kid, and what …

1
GBD9: Rupert Sheldrake (Round 2) 1:09:56

1+ y ago1:09:56

1:09:56

This is my second audio episode featuring the English biologist Rupert Sheldrake, recorded during Christmastime in London. If you watched the short version of this episode (titled “The Logos and the Calendar”) on my YouTube channel, I still recommend listening to this audio episode. The video version is only twenty-three minutes long, whereas this …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Greg Brownderville Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide