Thoughts, words and responses are flung here and there on this latest edition of Tryna Herd Cats, the philosophical dialogue podcasts Back By the Woodpile! This time around we talk alibis for failure, so empty nothing can offend, laying down metaphorical arms and getting mind punched by David Carradine.

(To hear on iTunes, click here!)

1980's artists fogotten, neglected or never heard in the first place. This time John J. Thompson of True Tunes fame helps us remember The Alarm, After the Fire and Steve Taylor!

To hear this on iTunes, click here!

1980's artists fogotten, neglected or never heard in the first place. This time John J. Thompson of True Tunes fame helps us remember The Alarm, After the Fire and Steve Taylor!

To hear this on iTunes, click here!

In the lead up to the world being plunged into a second world war, the Japanese invaded China and subjected the country to a living hell of destruction, mass rapes and deaths. A small group of Americans volunteered to become members of the Chinese Air Force and became known as飞虎队 or The Flying Tigers. Lead by US General Claire Chennault, the airmen with shark faces painted on their plane noses destroyed 296 enemy aircrafts in less than a year while only losing 14 of their own pilots.

Sally Fee comes back by the Woodpile this week to talk about her cousin Leonard M. Butsch Jr. who was a member of the Flying Tigers. Also known as "Mish", the serviceman’s adventures is told in a book called “Leonard M. Butsch, Jr: An Airman’s Story”, put together by Fee and another cousin named Robert McClure. Sally gives us not only some insight into Mish’s experiences and character but also of her own memories of the heroic man.

And we also end up talking bout Sally’s jazz record collecting!

(To hear on iTunes, click here)

(Mish with a young Sally)

Philosophy throwdown! Somehow between sneaky neighbors, withered trees, unaware beauty, unaware virtue, Chinese sages and missing axes, we find a little insight. 

To hear on iTunes, click here!

78 RPM quests, Bix Beiderbecke’s mystery trail, Joe Bussard’s basement Mecca, digitizing history and making-me-blush blues songs. It’s all brought here by this week’s guest Back By the Woodpile, Jackson Garrison!

To hear on iTunes, click here!

78 RPM quests, Bix Beiderbecke’s mystery trail, Joe Bussard’s basement Mecca, digitizing history and making-me-blush blues songs. It’s all brought here by this week’s guest Back By the Woodpile, Jackson Garrison!

To hear on iTunes, click here!

A whole village under the thumb of one snake, avenging a father one never knew, the safety in being useless, piting lions against each other, yanking at crops to get them to hurry up... All of these stories and more are told to us back by the woodpile by kids and young folks in China. Learn a little culture and hopefully wisdom at the same time on this episode!

(To hear via iTunes, click here)

Nashville, Tennessee is famous for the country music industry, hot chicken and a ton of colleges. But it's also full of individual stories, of which this episode's guest Back by the Woodpile- Reckless Dave we'll call him- tells us during his tour of the city. There's Mid-Town record store characters, helping musician Daniel Johnston buy comic books, Bordeux cats named Shadowboy and Pantera, Watkins film school dreams and the self reflection we all go through. 

(To hear on iTunes, click here)

1980's are back, at least in our reminiscing. This time around: high school hard boiled press hounds, fist fighting everyone from Tennessee to Chicago, club Medusa and Little Debbie's fudge round.