This week Odysseus wraps up his epic yarn for the Phaeacians by threading the needle between the “dog-trunked” Scylla and the gulping maelstrom of Charybdis, a waxy zip past the alluring Sirens, and an ill-advised stop on the island of Helios where his men’s hankering for a decent steak does the rest of them in. Then (finally!) Odysseus is ferried home to his home island of Ithaca. As much as he’d like to rush home, check the junkmail, and clean out his gutters, this is no time to start trusting people. Athena directs him to cool his heels in the hut of the swineherd Eumaeus (Dave’s favorite!) where there’s always ouzo for two-zo, pork hot off the spit, and a down-home xenia that sits at the moral center of the tale.

In this episode we welcome Dr. Ed Watts into the vomitorium. A highly respected historian of Rome from UCSD, Ed talks with Jeff and Dave about his fascinating 2018 book Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell into Tyranny. Come along for the sights, the sounds, and yes, even some of the smells of ancient Rome as Ed explains – to Dave's chagrin – his antipathy toward Cicero as a person and stylist, but deep respect for the man for his "profound" political insights. Individuals are mortal, but a republic doesn't have to be. Ed leads us through a careful explanation of the breakdown of Roman society in the final years, and the personal and economic forces that led to tyranny. Be sure to stay tuned to the end where Dr. Watts gives his sobering take on political violence on the American scene. And check out our social media to win 1 of 3 signed copies of Ed's book we're giving away, thanks to Basic Books.

Dave and Jeff katabisate back into Hades where we watch a parade of mythic women, but no marching bands or fun-size Snickers in this parade, just more murder, mourning, and malevolence. Tune in for Epicaste, Antiope, Alcmene, and many more unpronounceable ladies. Then it’s more blasts from the passed: Agamemnon shows up with a story of the worst “welcome home” present ever while planting some doubts in Odysseus’ mind. Achilles himself drifts forward giving Odysseus a taste of what awaits him. Ajax Telamon gives our hero the silent treatment and refuses to “hug it out.” And even Sisyphus, the original rock-n-roller, has a cameo, eternally doomed but still managing to drop some 19th century economic theory on all y’all.

Come along as we follow Odysseus on his ultimate journey—a trip to the LAND OF THE DEAD (cue screeching violins or maybe even Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”). WATCH as our hero cowers from the ghosts of epics past as they swarm like moths to the blood filled pit! WONDER what Elpenor is doing here when he was just eating nachos on Circe’s veranda a second ago! LISTEN to Tiresias’ weird prophecy and Dave’s master class on wheat/chaff separation! WEEP when Odysseus encounters his mother Anticleia’s shade and attempts in vain to embrace her! SEARCH the pantry for some Huggable Portions™ (new from Nabisco!) to stave off that 2nd half of the podcast hunger! Or just tune in—this is good stuff.

This week Jeff and Dave welcome author, teacher, musician, farm guru, and mini-Aristotle Susan Wise Bauer via Zoom from her home in Virginia. Jeff and Dave enjoy a lively back-and-forth with Susan on her many talents and accomplishments. Tune in as Dr. Bauer discusses her experience being homeschooled, her love of Hebrew and history, and her best-selling books that serve as guides to anyone who wants a “Classical education”. Along the way we discuss what different people mean by the term “classical”, the rigours of writing a “universal history”, as well as Susan’s latest interest—Hippocrates and history through the lens of medicine and disease.  And if you’ve been unsure about when to do your “lambing”, listen to the end for the shear joy.

After giving the Cyclops everything short of his credit card information, Odysseus and the boys are in for more bumps and bruises. First it’s a visit with Aeolus, god of the winds, who bags up all the blustery blasts, but instead of telling his crew our hero decides it’s “nap time”. Then it's on to the Laestrygonians for more cannibalism and general rock-chucking. At last they wash up on the island of Aeaea (no vowel-buying necessary) where Circe decides that while men are pigs the Hermes-helped Odysseus can stick around for a bit. Have these men learned anything?  How many crew remain? Is Odysseus even telling the truth or is he a kind of ancient Keyser Söze?

This week Dave and Jeff find themselves trapped with Odysseus and his men in the cave of the dreaded chatterbox Cyclops. Here they're confronted not only with the question “How do we get out of here?”, but also “Is the Cyclops really that bad of a guy?”, “How do the Greeks define civilization?”, “What’s the true hierarchy in the Vomitorium?”, and even, “Can you base a whole society on cheese?” Brace yourself for non-stop, root-crackling, sheep-strapping, lamb-cramming, epic-simileing, cheese-filching action, and, as always, best to save your hubristic braggadocio for well after your ship has cleared the harbor.

This week we welcome our first in-studio guest (and it’s a big one)—Newberry Award winning young adult author (and Calvin University English Professor) Dr. Gary D. Schmidt. Tune in for a wide-ranging discussion about the influence of the Classics on Gary's life and writing, including his love for Odysseus, his loathing of Achilles, and a sneak peek at his next novel, based on the labours of Heracles. Along the way watch out for those liminal spaces, whether they are middle school or entrances to the Underworld, and wait…is that the Piano Man himself, Billy Joel? Listen to the end to hear Dave and Jeff riff their way through some viewer mail.

In this week's episode Zeus sends Hermes to demand that the fair-tressed Calypso release weeping Odysseus (still with us?) after seven years of island imprisonment. No amount of organic oat hair milk can cheer her, the added shine, volume, and bounce notwithstanding. We look at books 5-8, with Odysseus and Nausicaa having a go at jarts, while Demodocus (Homer himself in disguise?) plucks out the hottest hits of the Mycenaean Era. Odysseus weeps (again!) and drops some layered metanarratives, but not before the white goddess offers him a magic, life-saving pair of trousers in the middle of a shipwreck. And stay-tuned for a new, *stellar* sponsor.

This week Dave and Jeff clamber aboard a trireme and follow Telemachus as he leaves Ithaca (for the first time?) and heads to the Peloponnese in search of news of his missing father. After leaving Nestor (and escaping his grumpy old man, “back in my day” monologues) it’s on to Sparta to visit Menelaus and Helen. Here things are so tense that Helen has to mix some sort of magic sedative into the Mountain Dew. Stick around for Menelaus and Helen’s strikingly different versions of the Trojan Horse story, and possible answers to the questions “Could the Trojan War have been avoided if they had just had better coffee?” and “Who cares what Jeff wore on his first day of high school?”