Episode 53: Terry Rea

Chuck Wrenn

Hey, Terry Rea is one of the great contributors to Richmond counterculture and sports you can easily do while not spilling your beer. He has been involved in broadcasting, film, design,politics and invective for many decades now. Currently he is one of the most outspoken voices on the issue of Shockoe Stadium not screwing with the Diamond and everything else that goes along with the fight. He has even created his own event/protest/stunt Ring Around the Diamond to take place on Sunday August 3rd at the Diamond. Vote with your dignity and join hands around our concrete friend and show those mean pigs how much we love it.

P.S. He’s the one on the left

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Episode 52: Carol Piersol

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Carol is the former Artistic Director of the Firehouse Theatre and has started a new company called the Fifth Wall Theatre with actor Billy-Christopher Maupin. Over the last few month I have seen two of her newest productions and found myself wondering why the hell I haven’t paid more attention to theatre in general. It’s immediate and visceral and a little intimidating sometimes but always illuminating. Carol through her years of involvement in Richmond theatre has brought challenging and fresh productions to a city that has been fondly referred to as 30 years behind everywhere else and from her I get some insight into what theatre can be and how much better I could be at listening to it and everyone else.

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Episode 51: Paul DiPasquale

Paul D
Paul DiPasquale is a sculptor who has put a monumental stamp on Richmond. He has created some large iconic pieces that are as familiar as they are in some cases controversial. Connecticut his Native American piece that currently regards the James river from a perch atop the old Lucky Strike building has been in Richmond long enough that for me it has become something quintessential, though as I learned during this conversation, it had a previous life elsewhere. This conversation made me aware of the scope and role his art has played in Richmond as well as his contribution as a consultant and an influence to city policy toward public art. I also managed to get something else unintended but necessary to me just regarding the city through his eyes.
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Episode 50: Mo Karnage

Glam
Mo is an anarchist and political activist. I first became aware of Mo watching Mo go before city council to battle the privatization of Monroe Park and have since kept an eye on Mo’s other causes, mainly through Facebook. Mo is involved in Food not Bombs and lives in a sort of commune known as Wingnut. Mo is pretty left of me but I think ultimately we value the same trajectory for our city, people helping other people and connecting to create alternatives to the way the urban landscape has been clumsily manipulated but myopia and political ambition. I am just way more lazy.

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Episode 49: Ward Harrison

Ward
This is my man Ward from an afternoon over t’ my place, strong coffee, “nucleotides and name dropping” was the phrase he coined. I meant to get this up before Los Ramones played at En Su Boca but I failed. Ward is of the Hackensaw Boys as well but..well, you’ll see, I mean hear, you’ll hear what’s up with that. So Escuchan!
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Episode 48: Tannon Penland

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Tannon Penland is a guitar player in the band Loincloth he’s been one of the known knowns and known unknowns in the various strata of the layered avant metal music scene in Richmond, Virginia. He’s been in and into many bands over the years that I have heard referenced but was just uncool enough not to quite be able to put my finger on. Pledge Alleigance, Kenmores, Gauchiste and to name a few. This is one of those times when I do a little research to post the “cast and realize that could have been a cooler chat if I’d done this beforehand,*sigh*. Well it was a cool chat I just missed the opportunity to ask about things that would have been interesting to hear about. When will I ever learn? Never, because I’m a, lazy, lazy man and this is my podcast and I’ll cry if I want to.

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Episode 47: Carl Hamm

carl and tootsCarl is an aficionado of music. I met him many years ago when we tried to form a band that I sucked too hard at to make last. He made an impression on me at the time as someone full of earnest and deep appreciation for allĀ  music from anywhere. He is a deep digger and digs deeply into bands, into record bins and into the vein from which the spring of musical expression flows. He’s got a cool radio show on WRIR called “If Music Could Talk” Sitting down with him had me in a mood to do the same thing. I went metaphor mining and got very stoner English major on him. This is a long one, so use your pause button go outside and get some air and come back to it, it gets heavy maaaaan.

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Episode 46: Jo Ann Breaux

IMG_4515Jo Ann is the lady behind Anti-Mag. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her for the last couple of years she’s got great taste and you can see what she’s currently tasting at her blog, which will be going live May 1st but you can check out some previous goods while you wait, an appetizer if you will. We have a little talk about what Richmond looks like to us now and we pull a little of that scrutiny of the kids stuff people who have seen as much come and go as we have. If only they would get off my lawn…

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Episode 45: Ray Bullock

RAy BRay has been contributing to the Richmond Comedy and Arts scene for 15 years with his 9:55 club comedy nights, as well as being an emcee and organizer of a “host” of other events. I met him recently at a reading of his Shakespearian adaptation of Pulp Fiction ( its funnier than it sounds) and checked out one of the 9:55 nights not long ago. I think I’m warming up to the idea of Richmond Comedy. Comedy in general is tough for me, I really need to stop taking everything so seriously.

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Episode 44 : Bizhan Khodabandeh Part 2

Bizh
And as promised the second part of my conversation with Bizhan, is it better in two parts or should I keep it all together? Don’t answer that. Remember to check out Bizhan’s comics he’s quite active here is a recent article about his works artistic and activistic.
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