Meet My Good Friend

This week you get to meet my good friend Stephan, a Haitian immigrant who has been living in the US for 11 years. We talk about the 2010 Haitian earthquake and how he lost a number of friends and a very close uncle. We go on a history tour of Haiti and learn about the slaves rebelling and taking over the country from the French.

Stephan talks about the process he went through to gain US citizenship and how important that was to him. As a special bonus he gives me a citizenship test which I pass and also become a citizen of this wonderful country! Other highlights include me deporting a random bar-goer for not singing The Star Spangled Banner, Stephan pimping Rick and Morty for cash, and the most amazing explanation of why America is great (Hint: we have friendly dogs and a mountain thats shaped like people).

Ok, listen in now and meet my good friend Stephan.

Meet my good friend Amanda. She grew up in New York City on the lower east side of Manhattan. Her home was blocks from The World Trade Center and as a third grader she saw the second tower fall on 9-11 after being evacuated from her school. This story is interesting enough for an entire episode by itself, but we don’t stop there!

We discuss plans for her upcoming wedding and talk about the logistics of having a “traditional” wedding when the couple is both female. We also go into her work as a social worker and her plans for adopting children.

To finish off the talk Amanda tells about how she figured out she was gay and also gives some advice for young people who may be questioning their sexuality. This episode has something for everyone! Please meet my good friend Amanda.

I met Diane after her team (Multiple Scoregasms) just won the world famous Mulberry’s Sports Bar Spring Intermediate Sixes Beach Volleyball Tournament! It was really nice of her to sit down with me while she was sandy and sweaty and celebrating with her friends. We talk a bunch about playing volleyball as well as her passion for sports in general. She coaches her son’s baseball, basketball, and football teams as well as playing volleyball herself AND holding down a 9 to 5. I’m tired after just typing it!

We also talk about her Korean heritage and how her parents are “fresh off the boat.” We discuss cultural differences like Korean’s respect for their elders and the very low crime rate in Korea. Are you wondering if we are talking about North Korea or South Korea? You’ll have to listen in to find out!

Please meet my good friend Diane and learn about volleyball, Korea, and a little bit about “full service marketing.” Say “hello” to Diane!

I met Eric during karaoke night at a club in Cleveland. His favorite animal is a platypus because “They’re aquatic, and they’re like a beaver had sex with a duck.” I feel like that amazing description may be all you need to know about Eric before you listen, but I’ll tell you more anyway.

Eric talks a lot about growing up in “the hood” and why family is the most important thing in his life. Learn why he considers his mom a super hero.

We also talk about his budding career as a barber, something he’s done for ten years but is only now going to school for. At some point his “bodyguard” comes over and starts questioning me about what I’m doing and the interview sorta peters out after that. It really was incredibly interesting talking to Eric up to that point though. Actually, I think it was just getting late and Eric wanted sleep. Or beer.

Anyway, listen in to my talk with my good friend Eric and learn a thing or two about the hood and family and barbering. Meet my good friend Eric with the lovely sounds of karaoke in the background.

Meet my good friend John. This John is a different John than the John you met last week. A quick warning: this episode is NSFW more than any other so far. If you’re listening at work or around children or small dogs, use caution.

John wastes no time telling me how well-endowed he is and later tells me that he has “about 9 bitches.” He is a pretty serious pool player who claims to have not lost a game in over 5 years. Learn his secrets including “practice” and “geometry.”

John is also a Harley motorcycle rider who takes pride in the fact that his bike is loud enough to ruin your picnic. He also wears all leather (to be safe) but no helmet. Go figure!

Listen as he calls out LeBron James! John claims that LeBron can’t beat him on the pool table OR on the basketball court. As of this posting, LeBron has yet to issue a statement.

The absolute best part of this interview happened after I had stopped recording. I packed up my gear and was heading out when I saw John playing pool in the back. I went to say “bye” and when I did I saw him scratch while going for the 8 ball.

John is the guitarist for a band called Burlap to Cashmere. I met him after a show that I didn’t see and I had never heard of the band. After a 30 minute chat (and some research I did later) I found out that Burlap to Cashmere is a pretty well known act in both the worlds of Christian and secular music. In fact my brother had one of their CDs in his car stereo when it was stolen many years ago. I think John had a good time chatting with someone who had absolutely no idea who he was.

John describes Burlap to Cashmere as Paul Simon meets Cat Stevens over Greek Balkan music. To try to figure out what that means we listen to a portion of their song Build A Wall. John also likens the band to “an acoustic version of Rush,” meaning they are an acquired taste but put on a great live show.

We talk about crazy Greek time signatures, his family’s connection to Bon Jovi, having a limo driver at 18, and being recognized in Dunkin Donuts. It’s like a really interesting episode of Behind The Music, but one in which no one dies of a drug overdose. Meet my good friend John.

My good friend Kevin is an amazing person. His job is to lend support to the families of homicide victims and this episode can get pretty heavy at times. For someone who deals with murder, funerals, domestic violence, and sudden infant death, Kevin has an awesome view of humanity and our ability to overcome the most horrible circumstances. He talks about the help he gives to those in need and how he takes care of himself so the seriousness of his work doesn’t drag him down. It’s really interesting stuff and I think you will enjoy meeting him.

I met Kevin at a storytelling event in Cleveland called Told. Before we go into his job as a social worker we talk about this amazing event where regular people randomly get called up and share true stories with an audience. Told events also have two featured storytellers who have more time and tell prepared stories. The theme of the evenings stories was “love in Cleveland,” and a real actual wedding broke out at the end of the night. It was crazy! Kevin and I will tell you all about it.

So it’s a bit of a 2 part episode. The first portion is about Told, and then we go into homicide, poverty, and social injustices. I think the 2 parts fit together nicely though, especially because the stories that night were about love. I don’t know. Just listen.

And thanks to Dave from toldstories.com for hosting a great event! Now meet Kevin.

You lucky listeners get to meet two of my good friends for the price of one! Meet Dave and Aubrey, co-hosts of trivia night at The Happy Dog in Cleveland. I wandered in there just as they were wrapping up the game for the evening and they were gracious enough to sit down with me for a chat.

Most of the talk is about trivia. We discuss how they come up with the questions, themed rounds, tie breakers, and prizes. If you’ve ever been to a pub quiz you will surely enjoy this talk. If you’ve never been to a pub quiz, get to The Happy Dog on Monday night!

We also discuss Aubrey’s career organizing closets and garages for people. Her number one tip: get rid of your crap.

Dave talks about his band The Boys From the County Hell, which is a Pogues cover band. We also learn that Dave has very limited knowledge of how the internet works. What is Facebook? What is a website? Don’t ask Dave!

Be sure to listen all the way to the end because they ask a trivia question that you can figure out and email me the answer ([email protected]) to try to win a prize! It’s a contest! Yay!

Now it’s time to meet my good friends Dave and Aubrey.

I would like you to meet my good friend Jared, singer and guitarist for The Sour Notes. The Sour Notes are a psych-pop band from Austin, Texas who are currently on a 2 week tour. I met Jared at Now That’s Class in Cleveland where they had just performed with local act Sammy Slims. Their tour is based around a stop in Toronto, Canada for the North by Northeast festival. We talk about life on the road for a band with no money, how they plan and schedule their own tours, and how they do all this despite holding down day jobs.We talk about the creative process of songwriting, home recording, and what the mixing and mastering phases entail. Finally we listen to a bit of their song Big Dreams from their 2012 release Last Looks. Google “The Sour Notes Austin” and check out their music, but not before you listen to my interview right now. Meet my good friend Jared.

Meet my good friend Adam, assistant to the general manager at the Town Hall restaurant in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland. I met him while I was on the hunt to interview a vegan as it was vegan night at the restaurant, but it turns out he is a carnivore who just happens to know a lot about vegan and vegetarian dishes. After talking about the vegan lifestyle we move on to a discussion about the duties of an assistant GM at a restaurant and the restaurant industry in general. We talk about learning to appreciate a dish for what it is (even if you personally dislike it) and what its like as a restaurant professional to go to other establishments for a meal. Learn how Adam transitioned from being a server at a drive in burger joint to an assistant GM at this Cleveland spot that offers vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and non-GMO food. Listen right now and learn how to tip properly and most importantly how to avoid a condition called Leaky Gut! Meet my good friend Adam.