Hello friends! Let's get ready for Baseball 2023 - it's going to be different! A pitch clock, limits on defensive tactics, more stolen bases - baseball might just be fun again!

My guest is Adam Pohl - a veteran of the podcast who joined me waaay back in episode four, and talked about his role as the broadcaster for the Bowie Baysox, the Double A minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Adam still broadcasts games for the Baysox, but has also taken on an expanded role for the team, and has emerged as a regular broadcaster here in DC. As an observer of "thousands" of minor league games, including the last few years were many of these rules have been long instituted, there's no one better with whom to tackle this subject!

Baseball will never be the same - and if you want to know what to expect this year, you've come to the right place! Thank you Adam and PLEASE subscribe to the show on our website, and leave a review on Apple - it matters! See you soon!

Greetings and welcome to episode 58! I had the great honor to talk with Esther Starobin, who shared her compelling story of surviving the Holocaust through a short-lived, British supported program called the Kindertransport  ("children's transport") that helped to evacuate Jewish children from Nazi Germany.  Only about 10,000 children were fortunate enough to participate in the program; Esther was one of them. Esther shares her amazing story, and also reflects on some lessons from her experience that are applicable today. The picture that accompanies this episode, by the way, shows a young Esther with the family that so generously opened their doors to her upon her arrival in Britain.

Esther has told her story in the Holocaust Museum's First Person series of conversations with Holocaust survivors if you'd like to hear more; and you can learn about Esther here. And if you are interested in learning more about the Kinder Transport, here's a Wikipedia link.

I have known Esther for many years and I know what a remarkable woman she is; I am very grateful to have the opportunity to share her story. 

See you soon with a new episode, and thank you Esther for taking the time to speak with me. 

Umm..coffee...am I the only one that goes to bed thinking about how I'm just that much closer to having my first cup of coffee when I get up? Just me? No? Didn't think so! Almost EVERYONE loves coffee! But...how does that little coffee bean become that cup you may be enjoying right now? How did coffee become a global phenomenon? What's the history - including the dark side of the story, and what's coming?

My great guest, Professor Jonathan Morris of the University of Hertfordshire just outside of London (full bio here), discussed all of these topics with me on this episode. Dr. Morris has written two books on the topic including Coffee: A Global History; co-hosts A History of Coffee, a fascinating (and widely available) podcast looking at coffee's evolution, and has important thoughts on how we can help improve conditions for all of the farmers and individuals that help get us our morning cup. 

Great thanks to Dr. Morris, and thanks to everyone who listens - and while you're at it, go ahead and give the show a rating on I-Tunes, and all those good things!

See you soon with a new episode, and enjoy this one with Dr. Morris!

Hello my friends! Had a great discussion with Dr. Alex Grand about how the comic book industry continues to evolve to meet changing consumer expectations, focused on the idea of comic book realism. Dr. Grand has authored Understanding Superhero Comic Books: A History of Key Elements, Creators, Events, and Controversies -  a  ground breaking book on how comic books have evolved, and continue to do. Absolutely fascinating conversation - with all my most geeky instincts coming to play! 

Dr. Grand looks at how over time, comic books injected greater levels of realism into the story lines - in part thanks to Stan Lee, but actually reflecting a trend begun well before Spidey, the Fantastic Four, and the other seminal Marvel characters. This helped tell a good story, but was also essential to keeping the industry viable as readers' expectations evolved. We also talk about the industry today, where comic book characters are developed as intellectual property that must translate across an array of media, including movies.  

A fascinating exploration - and you don't need to be a comic book geek to enjoy it. Dr. Grand has a great site on comic book history, and it was a great treat to chat. And by all means check out his really cool YouTube sight, chock full of GREAT videos!

Enjoy, dear listeners - and see you soon (I promise) with a brand new episode!

Greetings! I had the great privilege to speak with Dr. Francesca Royster, professor of English at DePaul University, on her essential new book, Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions. Dr. Royster masterfully weaves the story of the relationship between blacks and country music, including the whitewashing of black artists for many years; the resurgence of black artists now making country music; and her personal journey as a fan of the genre, from the perspective of "queer theory and black feminism." Dr. Royster weaves it all together in a compelling narrative that is at once sobering, yet also very joyous in her appreciation of this wonderful music. 

A number of songs are interwoven in the narrative; all come from the playlist, CURATED BY DR. ROYSTER HERSELF, that accompanies this episode. That can be found here: 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/18DVB3Y2KwI5rryJAMpt3a?si=8b3e321235c1417d

I'm very appreciative that Dr. Royster not only spent time with me, but curated the playlist. Take some time to enjoy it - it's fantastic. 

See you all soon with a new episode!

Greetings everyone! Do you have 20 minutes to enjoy a GREAT story? This is how Sarah Bonner, her husband Tommy Bowes, and their partner, Allan Kresse, revitalized a cultural landmark right here in Maryland - and made it better than ever! Hank Dietle's Tavern was a much loved establishment with a loyal clientele - until it shockingly burned down in 2018. Sarah and her partners took over, reconstituted Hank's and turned it into a premier music venue at the heart of the local music scene. On any given night, you can go to Hank's and hear the best local - and increasingly national - music acts this town has to offer. And yeah, you sure as hell can dance there! It's an incredible transformation, and this is the story of how it happened!

I love this story, and I love Hank's - it's a really fun and always lively place to go with great people, great music, and a great environment. What Sarah and her team did was truly remarkable, and I'm thrilled to share their story with all of you. And be sure to drop in when you're in the area! I'm always up for a trip to Hank's!

In addition to Hank Dietle's terrific website, you can also check out Hank's on their Facebook page. And special thanks to Tommy's band - the Rock-a-sonics - for providing the opening and closing music for this episode, and to Alan Kresse for providing the excellent picture accompanying this episode!

Along with two colleagues, MIT Professor of Economics Joshua Angrist won the Nobel Prize in 2021 for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships - or put another way, using natural experimental methods to measure trends and seeking to understand outcomes than traditional, more familiar research methods. Dr. Angrist and I had a great talk about his important work, as well as the experience of winning the Nobel Prize itself!

And I should add, we've known each other since High School - which made the conversation all the more engaging and entertaining. Yeah, we weren't the best students back then...but Josh's story is an inspirational one - from mediocre high school student to Nobel Prize recipient. So we talked about his journey, we reminisced a bit about the old times...but perhaps most important, Josh did an exemplary job breaking down his work into terms even I could understand. So enjoy our conversation, and I'll see you soon with a new episode of So Important: The Interview Podcast!

A couple cool links: 

Here's Josh's Nobel Prize lecture, and here's some background on this very impressive individual. Thank you, Josh!

Greetings friends! I had a great conversation with graphic design artist Michael Kronenberg on the various ways that Batman has been portrayed over the years. It's really interesting to track Batman's evolution, particularly in light of how his persona  evolved not only in comic books, but also in movies and other media throughout the years. This is a classic "I feel like I've only skimmed the surface" episode, but we had fun talking and I'm grateful that Michael spent some time with me. 

Michael Kronenberg is the right guy to talk to. He co-authored and designed The Batcave Companion (co-authored with Michael Eury), is a seminal collection of essays on the Caped Crusader. He is an award winning artist/graphic designer for the Film Noir Foundation and TwoMorrows Publishing, and he is the creator/designer of the boxing magazine RINGSIDE SEAT. Michael has designed magazines, books, and DVD/Blu-Ray movie releases for publishers worldwide. 

Just as an additional note, I interviewed Michael for my blog many years ago on the art of film noir. Check out the link - we had a terrific time chatting!

Thanks to all, and hope you enjoy the episode. See you soon!

Greetings friends. Today we're talking with Randy Schmidt, who wrote the definitive biography of Karen Carpenter who, along with her brother Richard, was one half of the immensely popular 1970s musical ensemble, The Carpenters. Everyone knows the Carpenters. For me, they were just that "pop act" that I didn't pay much attention to, and didn't really have any thoughts about one way or the other. Then I saw a video of Karen drumming...then I started listening to some of the music and realized what a golden voice she had...and I started thinking about her sad and untimely death in 1983 due to complications from Anorexia Nervosa. By this time, I had Karen Carpenter on my mind, and I wanted to know more about this truly amazing singer. 

I turned to Randy Schmidt, who has written the definitive biography of Karen, entitled Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter. Randy has written on a number of performers, but it's his work on Karen Carpenter that has struck a chord with so many, and I'm so pleased he came on the show. And...we had an AMAZING conversation. 

We talked about how the Carpenters came to be, their beautiful music that often transcended the traditional pop format with which they're often associated, and the circumstances surrounding Karen's death. I know you'll find yourself enraptured in Karen's story - just like I was. It's a special conversation, and a bif thank you to Randy for sharing his insights with me. 

See you soon with a new episode. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this one.

It's episode 50 folks! And to help celebrate this milestone, I'm joined by four alumni of the So Important Podcast: Mike Edison (episode 28), Gary Graff (episode 5), Jim Wilson (episode 7), and Chris McKittrick (episode 23) - four great guests convening to discuss a topic near and dear to all of our hearts: the late, great drummer of the Rolling Stones, Mr. Charlie Watts, who passed away last August. It's rare for me to have more than one guest, but the conversation was well worth it. Jim Wilson is a professional musician whose solo work reflects his deep love of the band. Chris has written a book on the Stones' early days, detailing their love of New York City. Mike Edison wrote the book on Charlie - quite literally. And Gary Graff is a widely published, internationally acclaimed music critic out of Detroit. What a crowd!

We had a great time talking about a man who was one of the world's greatest drummers - celebrating his life, his music and his enduring legacy. It doesn't get better than this!

Enjoy this special episode. Share it. Go to Apple Podcasts and give the show some love. We've made it this far  and I hope you enjoy this milestone episode as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Love you all, see you soon, peace out. Thank you for your continued support!

Monte