The Cold War was the great ideological conflict of the 20th century. In the first of our multi-part series, we will discuss one of the two ideological belligerents in that war: communism. We try to describe its appeal, trace its deep roots in western history, take a look at its modern prophet Karl Marx, and briefly examine how the Bolsheviks as Marxist foot soldiers created the world's first communist state in Russia.

For further reading:

Lenin: the man, the dictator, and the master of terror by Victor Sebestyen

Lenin: A biography by Robert Service

A People's Tragedy by Orlando Figes 

Karl Marx: Greatness and Illusion by Gareth Stedman Jones

Karl Marx: A Nineteenth Century Life by Jonathan Sperber

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In the second of two episodes on Houdini and the Spiritualists, we discuss Houdini's multi-front war against fraudulent mediums. It was an all-consuming undertaking, waged from the stage, in print, on lecture tours, and in the halls of congress. Along the way we discuss a handful of colorful figures and the strange, mysterious circumstances surrounding Houdini's death. 

The Official Houdini Séance next year could be the year!

Further Reading:

The Life & Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski

Calling the Spirits by Lisa Norton

In Search of White Crows by Robert Moore

The Secret Life of Houdini by Kalush & Sloman

A Magician Among the Sprits by Harry Houdini

The Man who Killed Houdin

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Just in time for Halloween! In the first of two parts, we will weave a kind of dual biography: Harry Houdini and the spiritualist movement. While Houdini is perfecting his craft to become the world's most famous illusionist, scores of Americans and Europeans are being drawn into darkened rooms with mediums who can talk to the dead. Eventually, maybe inevitably, these two, the magician and the movement, will intersect and then clash. 

As usual, here is a possible reading list for your enjoyment:

The Spiritualists by Ruth Brandon

The Witch of Lime Street by David Jaher

Houdini! by Kenneth Silverman

Ghost Hunters by Deborah Blum

Talking to the Dead by Barbara Weisberg

Calling the Spirits by

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In our second and final episode on the life and music of Dolly Parton, we pick up in the 1980s. Dolly makes a splash into Hollywood, endures some dark times in her personal life, gets dropped by her long-time record label, and roars back under new management. Then Jason makes his pitch for Dolly being among the top 5 American women in history and we reflect on how profiling a pop culture figure differs from the other subjects we've tackled.

If you're interested in listening to any of the songs we've discussed, here's a list of titles to try out:

Mule Skinner Blues 

Jolene

Silver Dagger

Wildflowers

My Tennessee Mountain Home

Just Because I'm a Woman

I Will Always Love You

If I had Wings 

The Bargain Store

Shine (Austin City Limits) 

PMS Blues 

Backwoods Barbie

If you hadn't been there I wouldn't be here  

9 to 5 

Rockstar

Travelin Prayer

Blue Smoke 

Cash on the Barrelhead

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It's time for Jason to make his case! In part 1 of 2 biographical sketches of Dolly Parton, we discuss Dolly's background, her early music career, her challenges and opportunities, and try our hands as music critics with a handful of her songs. Along the way, we light-heartedly discuss covered songs, opine on whether Whitney or Dolly did I will Always Love You better, trot out a few other famous personalities who worked with Dolly, and at one point Jason shares a shocking take on whether Carl Perkins or Elvis did Blue Suede Shoes better. 

Further Reading
There is no shortage of information on Dolly Parton available. Most of her story has been told her way or by Dolly herself. Maybe that's one-sided but, then again, it has worked to create an image of Dolly that almost nobody dislikes. Very few can lay claim to that feat. 

My Life and Other Unfinished Business by Dolly Parton

Songteller: My life in lyrics by Dolly Parton

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The Comanche peaked and then fell in the decades between 1840 and 1880. In this episode, we discuss that story arc. From the Comanche retaliation against Texas for the Council House Massacre, through a brief peace with the Texans, drought and declining bison herds, collapsing population, and finally to the back-and-forth relations with the US that culminated in the reservation period. In the middle of this story, Quanah Parker emerges as a great Comanche warrior who would then, in an unexpected pivot, urge assimilation as the last, best hope for his people. 

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Further reading:
Comanches: History of a People T.R. Fehrenbach
The Comanche Empire Pekka Hamalainen
Empire of the Summer Moon S.C. Gwynne
The Comanches: A History 1706-1875 Thomas Kavanagh
The Last Comanche Chief Bill Neely

In this YouTube Video, archer Lars Anderson recreated Comanche feats of archery

If you wish to visit Quanah Parker'

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In the third episode of our series on the Comanche, Comancheria slowly divorces itself from New Spain  to seek better fortunes in the bustling American markets. The Mexican government inherits a troubled border in Texas and disastrously mismanages the Comanche challenge. Texas breaks away from Mexico and her frontier explodes with settlements that pressure the Comanche homeland. Listen in as Chris and Jason discuss two restless worlds that are ready to collide. 

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Further reading:
Comanches: History of a People T.R. Fehrenbach
The Comanche Empire Pekka Hamalainen
Empire of the Summer Moon S.C. Gwynne
The Comanches: A History 1706-1875 Thomas Kavanagh
The Last Comanche Chief Bill Neely

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Just in time for Halloween! Join Chris and Jason as they discuss two historic sites that are reputed to be haunted: Poveglia Island in the Venetian Lagoon and Greyfriars Kirkyard in Old Town Edinburgh. Are the tortured souls in their tragic pasts still with us today?

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Reading material on Poveglia Island is extremely scarce.
But if you're interested in Greyfriars, and larger Scottish history in general, you could do worse than this list.

The Ghost that Haunted Itself by Jan-Andrew Henderson
Scotland: the Story of a Nation by Magnus Magnusson
How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Herman
Charles II by Ronald Hutton

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The Comanche entered the southern great plains slowly and imperceptibly, ultimately to find themselves one part of a very restless world. There were imperial tensions between European powers, as well as ancient rivalries and territorial ambitions of powerful native nations. It wasn't exactly a game of thrones, but it was a contest nonetheless. Listen in as Chris and Jason discuss the Comanche's war of annihilation against the Apache, their tumultuous relationship with the Spanish, shrewd alliances with other native nations, and the peace that was engineered in the twilight of Spanish power in North America. 

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Further reading:
Comanches: History of a People T.R. Fehrenbach
The Comanche Empire Pekka Hamalainen
Empire of the Summer Moon S.C. Gwynne
The Comanches: A History 1706-1875 Thomas Kavanagh
The Last Comanche Chief Bill Neely

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"They came to the plains from the west, slipping through the canyon passes of the Sangre de Cristo Range in small, roving bands...They were few in number, possessed little wealth...New Mexico's Spanish officials noted their arrival to the southern grasslands in 1706 and wrote it off as a minor event. Yet by midcentury, the Numunu, then bearing the name Comanches, had unhinged the world they had almost unnoticeably entered"

So begins historian Pekka Hamalainen's epic history, The Comanche Empire. They were the continent's greatest horsemen and possibly the most ferocious warriors in history. In the first of several episodes on the Comanches, Chris and Jason trace their origins as hunter gatherers in vast North American wilderness, their migration south, and the fearsome but adaptable culture they forged on their path to dominance of the southern Great Plains. 

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Further reading:
Comanches: History of a People T.R. Fehrenbach
The Comanche Empire Pekka Hamalainen
Empire of the Summer Moon S.C. Gwynne
The Comanches: A History 1706-1875 Thomas Kavanagh

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You can reach out to us by email:  [email protected]