On this episode of Rabbit Holes, I was blessed with several guests! Specifically my good friends that run Willystock: an incredible music festival experience coming again for the second year in a row on May 8th through the 11th in sunny Marengo, Indiana! From the Willystock website: “Willystock began as an idea after the tragic loss of our dear friend Willy Jenkinson. Hosted by Nectar Valley, this festival is becoming a reality that we are hoping to share with as many people as we can. We are preparing an awesome lineup in celebration of Willy’s life.”

E.J Swift and Nectar Valley Mandolinist Landon Kotarek join me in a sort of hybrid of Rabbit Holes and the old format of my show, and we spend the first portion of the episode discussing the exciting second year of Willystock, and all the fun plans the pair have for the festival in May. They’ve been kind enough to involve me in the promotion of the festival, and I was super excited to have them on the show. I’ll drop links below for tickets, as well as Nectar Valley’s website, so anyone interested can buy tickets to the festival and check out all the awesome music and merch that Nectar Valley has to offer!

For the Rabbit Hole itself, I take the boys on a deep dive into the insane Great-Grandfather of Country Music: John Romulus Brinkley. How do Goat Testicle Transplants, shady Diploma Mills, and a fraudulent Flight School figure into jumpstarting the careers of some of the greatest performers to ever grace the Grand Ole Opry? Grab a drink, take a load off, and dial in my friends! And check out the links below for Willystock info and tickets, as well as more information on the incomparable Nectar Valley!

https://www.willystock.com/

https://www.nectarvalleymusic.com/

Part Two of the story of David Hahn, the radioactive Boy Scout!

Join Sam and I for the climax and conclusion of the story of the teenager who built a nuclear reactor in his own backyard.

Hello again! It’s been awhile!

I’m proud to present a new format I’ve been working on for about a year! Rabbit Holes is a deep dive into a niche subject that I choose relating to my guest! For the pilot episode I have one of my best friends, Sam Terrell, a career Chemical Analyst, on the show to talk about the boy who made a nuclear reactor in his own backyard: David Hahn.

I want to thank everyone listening, Sam of course, and Ken Silverstein, author of my primary source: The Radioactive Boyscout. A fantastic read if you’d like some more information on the incredibly interesting cautionary tale of David Hahn and his nuclear exploits.

We're back for Season Two! We missed you!!!

It's been a while! How've you been? How's the new job going? Did you ever finish building that birdhouse? Did you finally ask that attractive person out? The one you always see at the gym? I'd love to hear about it!

Real quick, one of my favorite people has some things to tell you about himself! When I moved back to my hometown after a major life transition, the first guy to hire me was Damon Wallace. He was the Production Manager at Theatre Workshop of Owensboro, and he put me to work as a Set Carpenter/General Techie. Since then, he's been one of my favorite mentors, and just an all-around terrific guy. I was lucky enough to be able to sit down with him and hear his story for the opening episode of Season Two of the White Rabbit Odyssey!

From Damon's beginnings working right here in Owensboro, Kentucky at the Riverpark Center as a techie, to his time working in New York City theatre (including a very interesting anecdote about working the blunder that was the Fantastic Four (2005) Premiere on Liberty Island), to his new adventures as a father, I got to hear it all from one of the coolest guys in the biz.

Had the terrific opportunity to sit down with one of the most driven and talented artists I've ever worked with. Cassidy Edwards is one of the busiest creatives I know: with choreographing for musicals and studios, performing, teaching, and now business owning! Cassidy has recently opened her own dance studio: The Indigo Dance Collective, and has already begun to inspire many young minds and help them develop their passion for dance and movement. She is an alumni of Murray State University, the Broadway Way Dance Center in New York, as well as Jacksonville University where she earned her MFA in Choreography. We discussed performance in general, her recent journey in starting a thriving dance studio business, as well as the importance of trusting your gut. 

Follow Cassidy on Instagram: @cassedwards17

Follow the Indigo Dance Collective on Instagram: @indigo_dancecollective

And follow the new White Rabbit Odyssey Instagram page: @thewhiterabbitodyssey

Daryl Phillipy has been one of the most important mentors I have had in my development as both an actor and as a person. Over the years he's helped me immensely in growing as an actor, and working with him has allowed me to really understand the importance of play in life and work, engaging with very truthful emotion on stage, and just having fun. I sat down with him in one of the last interviews I conducted at Murray State before graduation, and we discussed his early struggles in auditions, his long-standing admiration for movies and film, as well as his experiences with getting through to both students and actors as a professor and mentor. 

Couldn’t have been more excited for this one, I gotta say.

Was absolutely honored to have former Kentucky Senator, and current President of Murray State University, Dr. Robert L. Jackson on the White Rabbit Odyssey for an engaging conversation about his work as the President of Murray State, his time as a State Senator, as well as his passion for history, Murray State University, and the great Commonwealth of Kentucky. 

Go Racers!

Dr. Warren Edminster, President of the Murray State University Honors College, joined me in the library and shared with me the experience of growing up as the son of missionaries in Rhodesia and South Africa, experiencing firsthand the system of South African Apartheid, as well as sharing his wealth of knowledge on Shakespeare and Medieval literature. 

David Balthrop: a mentor, a Dean of Murray State University, and a friend, joined me on the Odyssey for a candid dialogue on a variety of things ranging from his passion for music and his interactions with musicians such as Eddie Van Halen, to his personal history with Theatre and working within the world of lighting design as well as Theatre administration.