Star Wars, Video Games, History? What’s not to love! With the hilarious Chris Kempshall!

In this episode, we listen to Jocelyn Swigger play some beautiful piano, learn about a new (to us at least) wonderful female composer, and talk colorful fashion!

Bruce A. Larson about campaign finance, his winding path to academia (a route marked by romantic pursuits and rock bands), and we end with a special expensive cocktail.

Now with fewer hosts! In this episode, Ian switches sides of the Attic to talk with Kurt about his new book, The Battalion: Citizen Soldiers at War on the Western Front,. They kick off the new season by talking about how defeat can sometimes look a lot like victory, why writing about war during a global pandemic might not be the best way to pass the time in quarantine, and about Ian’s love of playing with toy soldiers.

From there, the conversation turns to military fashion, as Kurt tries his best to get Ian to name history’s best and worst uniforms. Finally, they raise a glass and chat about the late Queen Elizabeth II over a well-earned cocktail.

Give it a listen—we promise this won’t be an episode of attrition!

R.C. Miessler and I sample various healing draughts. If you want to learn a bit more about the water of life, this is the episode for you!

In this episode, we try to recover from some recent unpleasantness. We asked previous guests of the show to read inspirational passages, poems, speeches, make their own comments, and simply give whatever message they thought that we all needed right now. As usual, our guests did not disappoint. We hope you enjoy this collection of calls to action, thoughts on our current political situation, and reflections on how one moves forward in darker times. Perhaps these thoughtful words from amazing people can contribute a bit of brightness in a dark time.

In this episode, we speak with Amy Tooth Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Oral History at Royal Holloway, University of London. Amy talks to us about her oral history research on butch culture and why, despite the fact that most people can recognize someone who is butch, it still takes academics years to figure out what “butch” means. She also explains why listening is something that actually takes practice and is hard to do. (Don’t Ian and I know it!) We then quiz her in a new rapid-fire format and geek out with her about our shared love of tweed fashion. Finally, we give her one difficult to drink cocktail now and send her home with a recipe for an even harder-to-drink cocktail! And this is how we treat people we like! Well, hopefully it still makes for interesting listening!

In this episode, we speak with Professor Christopher Kauffman, Adams Professor in Theatre Arts at Gettysburg College. Chris talks about the serious side of clowning and why nobody should ever try to be funny. He also explains why having a mean French man call you a “double-zero” is a great way to be funnier and explains the new “Muppet-core” fashion movement. Finally, we make our noses red both figuratively and literally by sipping on a cocktail. We promise this will only be the third worst thing you have ever heard! Call us Natalie!