Conversation ex Nihilo

OPM is a "fixture" in the Denver community and Billy can't stop reminding him of it. In addition to being a fixture Orange Peel is known throughout the city for his custom singing telegrams, musicianship, stilt walking, cabaret emceeing, celebrity impersonating and various other creative endeavors. He joins Billy via Zoom to talk about eating insects, mushrooms, performing as Johnny Cash and Hunter S. Thompson as well as his unique talent with the certain covering of a certain fruit. The two boys share some laughs and some memories on this fortieth episode.
https://www.orangepeelmoses.com/

Check out his single "Butterflies" here

Hana is the host of Hire Talk, a podcast that advises people on career searches and career changes. As an immigrant to the United States Hana has had to navigate a lot of challenges and she offers advice to all of those who struggle in today's business climate. She joins Billy via Zoom to talk about her background as well as some of her impressions of American culture. 

Katherine is an educator and the host of A Few Bad Apples, a podcast that chronicles criminality among police. She joins Billy via Zoom to talk about Rodney King, The significance of badge bending in Vallejo, CA, (it wasn't just for aesthetic reasons) rethinking the function of police in society and the impact of pop culture on policing. This summary is by no means definitive. There is so much to discuss when the topic is one of the most important social issues of our time, but they do their best with the hour they have. 

Kerry Purcell is a senior executive with Focused Schools and as the principal of Harvard Park Elementary in Springfield, Ill was one of the subjects of the 2009 PBS documentary The Principal Story. Kerry joins Billy via Zoom to talk about a variety of topics including: Her career as a principal, the making of the documentary, optimal learning strategies for students and the future of education post Covid. 

Kathryn Sullivan is a world traveler, writer, podcast host and founder of Vivien Travel. She joins Billy via Zoom from the U.K. to talk about Billy's irrational phobia of Turks, Kathryn's ditching the corporate life in order to travel and her dream of bringing Vivien to life in the form of a brick and mortar hotel. Hers is a story of creativity vs. practicality and the lessons she has learned in the meanwhile.  

Billy speaks with Daman Tiwana and Khyati Thakur hosts of the podcast Brown Girls Read about the importance of reading, tragedy fueled creativity and what else? Culture. Indian vs. American. Daman and Khyati give their impressions about American culture from an immigrant's point of view and discuss their early memories of reading. The conversation takes some interesting turns into drug/alcohol abuse and their affects on creativity.  

Matt Watts is a comedian and writer based in Toronto, Canada. He has lent his voice to the CBC Radio One shows Steve, The First, Steve, The Second and Canadia: 2056 all of which he wrote as well. He has starred in the comedies Michael: Every Day, Writers' Block, and The Newsroom. He joins Billy via Zoom to talk about his origins in comedy, working with Ken Finkleman, The business of Canadian broadcasting and cynicism vs. warmth on T.V. 

Reality Winner was convicted under the 1917 Espionage Act in June 2017 and sentenced to five years and three months for leaking information to The Intercept regarding the hacking of the 2016 U.S. elections by the Russian government. Her mother Billie Jean Winner Davis joins Billy via Zoom to talk about Reality's childhood, her case, and the flaws in the U.S. justice system.
More Information:
Stand With Reality
Who is Reality Winner?
Why Is This Happening?
 

Billy is joined by Nik and Tiffani the hosts of the podcast Black Girls Who Do Stuff Too. They speak to Billy via Zoom from Washington D.C. to talk about viewing culture through the lens of race. They give Billy a little bit about their personal backgrounds and the history of their show.  They discuss education both broadly and personally, the upsides of Covid, germophobia, real estate, and campaign finance. 

Perhaps John Wayne never said "A Man's Got to Do What a Man's Got to Do" like it says on Billy's coffee mug, but he did say and do a whole host of other interesting if not instantly quotable things. Brian Downes is the executive director of the John Wayne Birthplace & Museum in Winterset, IA. He joins Billy to talk about the Duke, his films and his legacy.