Doug Johnson introduces the cast and recalls, with Ross, the (micro)speech he gave to his son before his first football game in the twilight of the 20th century in Springfield, Illinois. Ross and Doug might not remember if he scored, but they remember the speech. And now, you will too.Thumbnail image comes from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/father-…

Landon, Mike, Ross, and Matt close out the "Speeches That Got Someone Killed" quad. Some political candidates might be a threat to America's democracy, but this episode isn't--unless you think a Speech Guys oligarchy could make American great again.Full text of speeches discussed can be accessed here: https://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/robes…

Mike, Landon, Ross, and Matt consider how John Lennon's interview in March 1966 with London's Evening Standard influenced Mark David Chapman and the legacy of Christianity, the Beatles, and musical counterculture that persists today.The speech can be read here:https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/1966/03/john-lennon-is-quoted-saying-were-more-…

Fact Check:Landon references a comment made by Former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, that "eight trillion dollars was lost track of", and speculates that the attack on the Pentagon was to obviate the federal government of responsibility toward that amount. See this addressed here: https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/rumsfeld-did-not-reveal-l…

How does the Sermon on the Mount help the Speech Guys pursue a worthy spiritual frontier? Listen in as Ross, Matt, and Mike cheer for the arrival of Faye Frye and consider what might set Jesus of Nazareth a story worth believing in.By The Speech Guys

Does art inspire life or life inspire art? Landon, Ross, Matt, and Mike team up for Orson Welles' 1941 campaign "to rid the politics of this State of the evil domination of Boss Jim Gettys".The thumbnail image comes from https://theasc.com/articles/realism-for-citizen-kane.By The Speech Guys

Listener discretion: "a**" is used several times throughout the episodeIs paying for runs really what America's baseball heart beats for? The Speech Guys and special guest, Theus Brown (BAJ and BROWN Podcast), discuss the contemporary consequences of the "moneyball" model via the dramatized speech by Boston Red Sox owner, John Henry, in the 2011 Os…

"You think I know the first thing about being an orphan because I read Oliver Twist?"... Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) begins to tear down the intellectual and academic walls that Sean (Matt Damon) built up around himself in this famous speech from the 1997 Oscar-nominated film, "Good Will Hunting". Ross, Landon, and Mike contemplate their own …

This episode is rated PG-13 for language and discussion of sexuality.Anne Marie rejoins as guest host to discuss the good, true, and maybe not so universally accurate observations of women and men in Gloria's speech to lift Barbie out of the existential doldrums.Thumbnail image comes from https://people.com/read-the-powerful-barbie-monologue-about-…

Merry Christmas from the Speech Guys! Talk, think, and laugh about your favorite holiday fare... fruitcakes, George and Mary Bailey, and the real life Hallmark tradition that took place each season at Johnson's Market.Read the November 2019 article on Ross's family grocery business from the New York Times here:https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/us/…

In 1986, author and Holocaust-survivor, Elie Wiesel, was awarded for his humanitarian work on behalf of the Jewish community and other historically-oppressed groups. The Speech Guys discuss the legacy of those words, particularly in light of heightened tensions between Israel, Hamas, and Palestinians.Special thanks to a listener who pointed out tha…

Apollo Creed helped Balboa get his body ready for the Heavyweight title against Clubber Lang. But his wife and partner, Adrian (Talia Shire), had to retrain his heart. "I'm afraid alright! For the first time in my life, I'm afraid."Bonus content: Matt's Brooklyn-styled Rocky impressionBy The Speech Guys

Who said AI was a new conversation we should be having? Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) and Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) were paving the way for the rest of us all of the way back in 1982.Mike's the speech-picker. Matt and Landon tag along for a trip to the future in... 2019. Or would that be the past?Thumbnail image comes from https://www.exrey.tv/blade-…

The Speech Guys try to imagine a world just before the dawn of their births as they step back into the 1980s with President Reagan's speech following the space shuttle Challenger explosion on January 28th, 1986 over Cape Canaveral.By The Speech Guys

Mike, Landon, Matt, and Ross finish out the Speeches By Prisoners series with Socrates' speech before his Athenian jury considering whether or not he ought to be executed for crimes of "corrupting the youth" and not properly worshiping the traditional gods of Athens.By The Speech Guys

The Speech Guys share a common collegiate origin along Illinois' Interstate 74. Here, Landon and Mike recall their coming together merely months before Mike's University of Illinois graduation in spring 2015. The moral of this episode? You never know what treasures are in store until your car is packed and ready to pull away from one of life's stag…

In 1978, Russian exile, Alexander Solzhenitsyn gave the commencement address to Harvard graduates. Unlike most commencement speeches, it painted Western culture in macabre, depressing descriptions of its decline in courage, legalism, direction of freedom and the press, socialism, loss of will, thinking with only respect to what's 'fashionable', sho…

It's the second episode of the Speeches By Prisoners series and the Speech Guys contemplate the stoicism and devotion to ordinary life Mandela seemed to demonstrate as a South African political prisoner from 1964 to 1990.Listen to the full speech Mandela gave before his 1964 trial here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQvlxnWELHMThe SG spend a lot o…

Mike and Chris keep sippin' their whiskies after the other Speech Guys leave for an extended chat of related topics from the "Becoming Jesus" episode of the Speeches By Prisoners speech series.The interview referenced in the episode of Denzel Washington can be accessed with the URL below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHvtjJY6IsQ"Imagine if Americ…

The Speech Guys lace up their high tops and unpack the first aid kit to talk about wounds... father wounds, that is. Jake Shuttlesworth's speech to his son, Jesus Shuttlesworth, played by Ray Allen in the 1998 Spike Lee film, "He Got Game", serves as their conversational muse.Chris guest hosts.By The Speech Guys

Episode Rating:13+ for instances of language ("bulls***", "a**hole") at approximately 2 and 58 minutes, respectivelyWipe that melancholy off your face and think wistful thoughts one last time as Mike, Landon, Matt, and Ross tread one more time through Speeches By Losers... this time, Frederick Nietzsche's "Madman Speech" from his 1880 publication, …

Episode Rating:13+ for a few instances of mild language and a few brief references to sex within the context of marriageWelcome to episode #37 of the Speech Guys! (Yes, we keep our episode number secret because... just because.)Matt's the speech picker and Dr. Lucy Kalinithi is the speech-giver in her June 2017 TED talk on navigating the experience…

(This episode is rated 16+, best-suited for audiences 16 years and older, as it discusses sex in the context of an ending romantic relationship. This content begins around the 45 minute mark.The Speech Guys pondered General Lee's model for being a good loser in war. But what about being a loser in love? Chuck Noland is the speech-giver from the 200…

Episode Rating: PG for discussion of slavery in the United StatesThe Speech Guys learn how to hold their heads high by kicking off season 3 with the "Speeches By Losers" series--headlined by Confederate General-in-Chief's letter written to his wife, Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee, shortly after the Confederacy's loss to the United States at the Batt…

Join Landon, Matt, Mike, and Ross for the final episode of season 3 as they listen to and discuss excerpts from an interview with Rene Girard conducted by Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institute in December 2009.See the full interview at the URL below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNkSBy5wWDkBy The Speech Guys

Matt puts the Speech Guys to work, tackling CS Lewis' arguably prophetic "Abolition of Man"--a collection of speeches presented at King's College in Newcastle, England in February 1943."Chicago... the city of Saturday."--Sean Dust"If your child goes to the Grand Canyon and says, 'meh', there's something wrong with them."--Mike"The Tau... the doctri…

A note on listener discretion... at approximately 36 minutes, Mike lets the expletive "sh*t" slip.America's longest-living POTUS takes the mound for the Speech Guys' second time at bat in the Speeches By Prophets series. Mike's Dad, Rich Schaefer, makes his second visit to the Speech Guys' digital studios by commenting on the role that JC and Mike'…

It's Martin Luther King Day early this year... or late. Regardless, Matt, Ross, and Mike step up to the plate and talk MLK's legacy, how the nature of race conversations seem to have changed between 1968 and 2022, and how they'd talk to their kids about race."Complaining about (accusations) of white privilege is small change compared with what Blac…

The Speech Guys tip their hats (and masks) to the English Monarchy by drinking and thinking over Queen Elizabeth II's April 2020 speech, "We Will Meet Again".The Show:Recalling COVID lockdown experiences, initial reactions to the Queen's speech, and lessons to pass on from COVIDThe Quotable Quotes:"Will we have a short or long memory with COVID... …

Matt and Ross keep the Speech Guys rolling as they break down the key ingredients in their friendship recipe."Joe came up to our apartment on the first day... long hair, riding a skateboard... and I thought, 'Son of a gun'..."--Ross"Who in the hell hangs curtains in their college apartment? What in the hell is his problem?"--Matt"Don't even stat to…

Pull out your milk pens, TV Guide, and Windows XP update manual. The Speech Guys put their minds and hearts to the questions posed by the 1990s and early 2000s TV Dads. A speech given by Debra Barone, played by Patricia Heaton, in the TV series, "Everybody Loves Raymond" is the focal point for discussion. Mike's grandmother, Audrey Tinoco (Episode …

This episode is rated PG-13 as it discusses the topic of sex, abortion, and contraception.While the Speech Guys are fans of, well, speeches... they aren't fans of making claims without doing their best to verify it from outside sources.The most prominent data referenced in this episode can be accessed via URLs at the bottom of this page. (Unfortuna…

The Speech Guys do their best to stay out of the mansplaining zone for Episode #27 as they discuss a speech given by Dr. Carrie Gress at the Family Institute of Washington. The speech was based upon her book entitled, "Ultimate Makeover: The Transforming Power of Motherhood",A few Speech Guy nuggets to sip and think on this episode:"This is what my…

What happens when the host of the episode loses contact with America and the Speech Guys while in Europe? Nothing good.Ross, Matt, and Mike struggle to wrap their heads around Hal and the famous speech to his astronaut passenger, Dave, from Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film, "2001: A Space Odyssey".Hear remnants from a 25-minute tangent into Bill Barr an…

Mike and Ross podcast solo in this special episode before the fourth and final installment of "Sci Fi Speeches". They tell the origin story of half of the Speech Guys that came about on the campus of the University of Illinois, Bradley University, and Illinois' State Parks and Catholic churches."I think we talked about dating, romance, and adventur…

Sip your favorite whiskey and think with the Speech Guys tonight as they unpack questions about scientific ethical questions that Ian Malcolm brings to the social foreground in the book and 1993 film, "Jurassic Park"... the post-credits scene, what is going to be Landon and Lauren's most special stop on their trip to Europe?"What is the proper rela…

Sip your favorite whiskey and think with the Speech Guys tonight as they unpack questions about free will that Marty McFly and Doc Brown bring to the fore in the 1990 film, Back to the Future Part III..."Son, there are only two things in life that are free... your will... and your last name.""We wanted to show you movies that wouldn't morally corru…

The Speech Guys listen to and discuss excerpts from the speech presented by the fictional President in the 1998 film, Armageddon. This is the first episode in the "Sci-Fi Speeches" series.Questions and topics explored in this episode consider how the Speech Guys thought about the (potentially) apocalyptic turning of the millennium in the year 2000,…

The Speech Guys listen to and discuss excerpts from the 2005 Kenyon College commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace. This is the fourth and final episode in the "Speeches Before They Died" series.Questions and topics explored in this episode consider the tension between objectivist and subjectivist perspectives expressed in the speech, th…

The Speech Guys read and discuss excerpts from the final speech given by Father Zossima, in the Russian novel, "The Brothers Karmazov". It was written by Fyodor Dostoyesky in 1879. This is the third episode in the "Speeches Before They Died" series.Questions and topics explored in this episode consider how sincerity of prayer expresses itself insid…

This episode is rated PG-13 as it discusses the significance of sex and sexuality in society and culture.The Speech Guys read and discuss excerpts from the final interview Marilyn Monroe gave just a few weeks prior to her taking her life in August 1962. This is the second episode in the "Speeches Before They Died" series.Questions and topics explor…

The Speech Guys listen to and discuss the North Carolina State University's Coach Jimmy V's speech he gave at the 1993 ESPY Awards, just two months before he died. This is the first episode in the "Speeches Before They Died" series.Questions and topics explored in this episode ask why "laughing, thinking, and crying" each day is so important, when …

The Speech Guys read and discuss the Seneca leader, Red Jacket's (1750 - 1830), speech he gave at a meeting between members of the Seneca tribe and missionaries from Boston who'd requested permission to evangelize his people.Questions and topics explored in this episode include the relationship between theology and virtue, the socio-economic dynami…

The Speech Guys read and discuss Graham's speech he gave at the Washington National Cathedral on September 14, 2001 following the terrorist attacks of September 11th.Questions and topics explored in this episode include how Graham attempts to explain or not explain why suffering exists and how that's important, whether or not Islamic extremists did…

The Speech Guys read and discuss Ms. Day's "speech" from her autobiography, 'The Long Loneliness'.Some questions that we explore are "Why is 'order' and 'structure' important to raising children?", "What was different about the way that she 'rebelled' against Church authority?", and "How did the Book of Job figure into her interpretation of hell an…

The Speech Guys read and discuss Saint John Paul the Great's speech that he delivered in Warsaw, Poland in June 1979.Some questions we discuss and topics that we comment on include how Communist Poland interpreted and manipulated his social influence, how he deftly navigated faithfulness to Christ and the Church and compliance with the atheist gove…

The Speech Guys read and discuss President Roosevelt's first Fireside chat that he delivered on March 12, 1933.By The Speech Guys

Editor's notes from this interview:The Great Depression began in 1929. The emphasis placed on 1933 pertains to the beginning of President Roosevelt's term.The draft did in fact begin before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The first peacetime draft began on September 16th, 1940 and continued until 1947. (https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teach…

The Speech Guys read and discuss a letter written by Ms. Lutiant Van Wert to her friend, Louise, describing the personal trials of enduring the suffering and bizarre experiences of the Spanish Flu.By The Speech Guys

The Speech Guys read and discuss President Jefferson's Presidential Inaugural Address delivered on March 4th, 1801.By The Speech Guys