Life is a Beautiful Ride

On part 2 of Phil's conversation with former Filter guitarist Alan Bailey, the duo get into practice, teaching and general training. They discuss common myths about musical talent, preconceived notions about studying music and how the principles of mastery apply to all aspects of life. "You are what you do." This podcast is for musicians, teachers, students and for anyone who wants to improve themselves to any capacity. There are many gems here and resources for everyone to dig into.

Phil brings on Alan James Bailey, guitarist and general badass onto the show for the first of two podcasts. Alan has played and toured professionally with Filter and continues to perform and teach guitar in the Burbank area. The first part of the conversation is focused on the fundamental American institutions at risk with Trump in the White House. Phil roped Alan into a half hour conversation about politics under the pretense that they would get to training and teaching, which they get to on part two. Many thanks to Alan for agreeing to be on the show.

Phil welcomes longtime friend, comedian and musician Graham Beightol to the podcast. They discuss the failed attempt at the Obamacare recall/replacement, reminisce on the early days of their comedy rock band Bob Knows Best and talk about their goals moving forward. Graham gives a rave review to Phil's book, The Fat Loss Arsonist. Look for a future show where Graham reaches his fitness goals! Here's a link to Phil's book http://philromo.com/the-fat-loss-arsonist/ Many thanks to Graham for coming on to the show and sharing a few laughs.

The nomination of Tom Perez to the head of the Democratic National Committee doesn't bode well for the future of the Democratic Party. Phil flies solo on this short episode and goes over the latest controversy on Jeff Sessions, Attorney General. Phil talks about Trump's twitter distractions and how we should navigate around them. Phil deconstructs the real reasons why Keith Ellison lost and who Tom Perez is truly beholden to. Articles and sources written by Glenn Greenwald from The Intercept- https://theintercept.com/2017/02/09/tom-perez-apologizes-for-telling-the-truth-showing-why-democrats-flaws-urgently-need-attention/ https://theintercept.com/2017/02/24/key-question-about-dnc-race-why-did-white-house-recruit-perez-to-run-against-ellison/

Thanks to Nicole Muraoka for coming on to our 4th podcast to talk about Japanese Internment during the Second World War. Nicole and Phil dive deep into the topic with a reading of the instructions to Japanese citizens and a reading of Executive Order 9066. Nicole shares family stories about her parents time in Manzanar. Phil and Nicole share facts and talk about the history of the internment camps. They also discuss the implications of history repeating itself under the Trump administration. A copy of the Instructions from 1942- http://ipr.ues.gseis.ucla.edu/images/Evacuation_Poster.pdf  Please share this episode if you enjoyed it!

Thanks to Jeff Page for joining us on our third episode. Phil unpacks the Michael Flynn situation, Jeff and Phil discuss the nature of Trumps character, Phil then gives a thorough rundown on chief strategist Steve Bannon and how his worldview shapes Trumps presidency. Jeff and Phil discuss the travel ban and the bans constitutional validity.  0:00-2:30- Introductions 2:30-7:00- The Michael Flynn resignation 7:00-17:30- A discussion about Trumps personality 17:30-24:00-Jeff and Phil talk about the two part system and the possibility of a third party 24:00-38:00- Steve Bannon and his worldview 38:00-43:20- The travel ban, Jeff and Phil have all out, knock em down CIVIL DISCOURSE 43:20-48:30- Closing thoughts, the silver lining A fantastic blog post on the incompetence of evil. https://lawfareblog.com/bannon-washington-report-incompetence-evil

Was anyone buying it when Donald Trump said he would hire "the best people"? On this episode of The WIretap Phil and Chad dissect two high level cabinet positions in Trump's new administration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. 0:00-8:30- Episode 1 recap and clarifications 8:30-12:00- Sam Harris on Bill Maher and comparing Trump to Peter Sellers in "Being There" 12:00-16:45- Mitch McConnell's shutdown of Elizabeth Warren before Congress 16:45-30:20- Attorney General- Jeff Sessions, too racist for the 80's 30:20-39:10-Secretary of State- Comrade Rex Tillerson 39:10-45:00- Betsy Devos- Phil takes it personal 45:00-49:00- Chad talks about reaching out to the Rust Belt in America 49:00-53:09- Chad gets fired and sign off

The major news networks are on the chopping block and some say that it's exactly what they deserve. On the inaugural episode of The Wiretap Phil Romo discusses the origins of how The Wiretap came to be. Phil delves into the history of the media in America and Chad discusses the failure of the media to hold people in power accountable. Phil and Chad ponder the future of a 4th estate that values ratings over journalistic integrity. They discuss Trumps utter disdain for news organizations that are critical of his administration and what the future could hold for a free press that is no longer free. A link to an infograph that can help you decide your sources based on quality and partisan bias http://i.imgur.com/ocPD49o.jpg Phil recommends supporting at risk news sources that offer high quality content. If you like the work that The Washington Post has done covering Trump, consider a subscription. The Wiretap is not associated with The Washington Post in any regard. https://subscribe.washingtonpost.com/ Chad wants you to be informed about the future of Democratic party leadership. Watch this video on the DNC debates from January 18th, 2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dnc-debate-livestream_us_587fed6ce4b02c1837e990af Please subscribe, rate and review. Share with your friends and get organized!