Taste – “Give a Person a Clipboard and a Velvet Rope and They Think They're God..." Episode 668 features a delightful conversation with Acclaimed American Artist & Director – Rob Roth. Rob talks with us from his place in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. We Discuss: He Being a Recurring Phenomena on Our Program, Time Being Skewed, Going on Tour with Blondie, the MAGA Movement, Golfers in His Hallway, Smartphones on the Subway, Algorithms as Feedbags, an Upcoming Show Featuring His Polaroids, the Artwork He Did for Blondie's Album "No Exit", People Wanting Vinyl Again, Being Friends with Parker Posey, Playwright Wayne Koestenbaum, "Dream Pumps", Potential Mentors Lost to AIDS, Fran Lebowitz, Derek Jarman, Chi Chi Valenti, Being Tough As Nails When on Tour, Integrity, Being Present, His Psychic Connection with Debbie Harry, Religion, His Grandma, Being on a Pirate Ship…

Taste – “Building Legitimacy for the Validity of Those Voices That Aren't Male, Aren't White, Aren't a Certain Age Plus, and Exploring What's Possible..." An insightful conversation with Sound Artist, Documentarist, Imagination Activist and Our Resident Anthropologist – Louise Romain. Louise talks with us from her place in Southwest England. We Discuss: A Beautiful Sunset, a Recent Family Adventure in South Korea, Language Barriers, Multispecies Assembly, the Privilege of Being Able to Travel Around the World, Shopping as an Extracting Agent, Buying Pieces of a Foriegn Culture, Complexities that Come with Modernity, French Politics, Nature Governance in the UK, Blood Ties & Family Memories, Soul Crushing Government, More Than Human Voices, Transgenerational Perspectives, Greenwashing, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation, News From Different Countries…

Taste - "I Was Born Into An America That Was Not Only Affluent Beyond Measure, But Unchallenged..." A grand conversation with American Journalist and Author - Seamus McGraw. Seamus talks with us from his place in the woods of Eastern Pennsylvania. We Discuss: Wandering Around the Woods & Enjoying Nature, Inflation, Presidents Coloring Within the Lines, Chaos of Tariffs, Creating Global Crisis, Farmers in the U.S., Iran, Cuba, Coal Replacing Renewable Energy, Algorithms & Social Media, Finding Common Ground, the Heresy of Just Being Willing to Talk, Will Rodgers, Liberal vs. Progressive, Americas Economic Hegemony, Thinking We Are Superior, the Apex of Bro Culture, Guinness...

Taste - "I Don't Believe In Chronology. Memory Has No Chronology..." A wonderful conversation with Acclaimed International Poet - Craig Czury. Craig talks with us just off a stint of exploration & celebration in Manhattan's Lower East Side. We Discuss: Living in the Bowery, Hitchhiking Across North America, 40 Years of Poems, What the Young Poets Are Doing, Layers of Civilization Bleeding Through Layers of Civilization, Happenstance, Leafing Through Old Journals, Being a Chimney Sweep in Montana, Teaching Poetry at a Cafe in Helena, Putting Yourself Out In The Universe, Real Poetry, City Lights Press, An Old Trombone at His Dad's House, Word Sculpting, Letting Go of Your Intentions Craig also reads an original piece called "Imagine" from his new book of poems titled "And If You Saw Me."

Taste - "It Never Seems To Get Easier. Does It Get Harder? I Don't Know. It's A Very Mysterious Thing." An insightful & compelling conversation with Musical Artist, Acclaimed Songwriter and Illustrator - Jeffrey Lewis. Jeffrey talks with us from his place in Manhattan's East Village after just returning from a West Coast tour with his band the Voltage. We Discuss: Growing Up in the Lower East Side, No TV, Larry's Corner in Stockholm, Strange Maine, the Fugs, Peace Eye Bookstore, Storefronts Selling Drugs, Poetry Chat Books, Lower East Side Counterculture, Weird Shops in the Neighborhood, the Sidewalk Cafe, His Parents, the Copy Shop on East Ninth Street, Not Having a Job, Yuppies, Crass, Jack London, Listening to Music While Driving Around on Tour, His Writing Process, Jonathan Richman, History of Chile Songs, Lou Reed, the Importance of Art, Comic Books, a Billion Monkeys on a Billion Typewriters, Freud, Striking a Balance with the Social Fabric, Upcoming Midwestern U.S. Tour.

Taste - "The Number of People That Fall Into All of Those Silos Is Preposterously Small..." A great Conversation with Our Resident Urban Hiker - Travis Ignatowski. Travis talks with us on location in Manhattan. We Discuss: The Financial District, the Oldest Parts of NYC, Hip Hotels, Going From Philly Via Amtrak, Naming a Dump in Honor of the President, Nipple Rings, Trans People, Hunter S. Thompson, the Mentally Deranged, the Mint Hotel in Vegas, Fear & Loathing, Early Spring 1992 at Penn University, Fascism, Controlling Elections, Politicians Lacking Courage, Generations, Conan O'Brien, Tracy Morgan, Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Goldie Hawn, a Penn Station Pizza Place for Supper...

Taste - "Fascism Will Never Fulfill Its Promises to People..." A Poignant Conversation with Ax Aficionado, Fiddler, Educator & Our Resident Historian - Serf William. The Serf talks with us from somewhere in Central New Jersey. We Discuss: Loving the Winter, Sleeping Unusually Well, Knowing What You Believe In, Being Able to Discuss Problems, Fighting for What Is Right on a Local Level, Being a Deeply Divided & Ignorant Society, Hope & Incremental Change, Beating the Collaborators, Raising Young People, Interactions With Young People, Comic Book Evil, Capitalism, Minneapolis, Saturday Afternoon Protests, Abusing Fascism, Noam Chomsky & the Epstein Files, Having Humanity & Values...

Taste - "We Believe In Contact Curling. Somebody Comes Out of the Shadows, As You're Skating Down Behind the Big Rock, & Blindsides You..." A Raucous Conversation with Writer, Satirist, Social Critic & Baseball Fan - Bruno Milo. Bruno talks with us from his place near the Hill. We Discuss: Throwing Snowballs at Children, Rising Early, Issues with Authority, Needing to Go Out, Reading Poetry, Pitchers & Catchers Reporting, Money in Sports, the Winter Olympics, Snoop Dog, Bad Bunny, Congress, Navigating Loneliness and Personal Boundaries at the Bar, Men & Women Down With O.P.P., Immigration...

Taste - "Singing In The Streets, Coming Together As People, Enjoying Each Other's Company..." A Wonderful Conversation with Theatrical Director & Actor - Ryan Cook. Ryan talks with us from his place in the Pocono Mountains. We Discuss: Mr. Volpe at Truman High, the Bucks County Playhouse, Struggling in NYC to Make Ends Meet, Auditions for "Bye Bye Birdie, PBS, Guys & Dolls, Aaron Sorkin, Helping Young People See Different Aspects of Things, "Rent," Roger & Mimi, Everything Bright & Colorful Around You, Martyna Majok, Samuel Beckett, His Approach As a Director & As an Actor, Stage Compared to Screen, Art Being Judged, Hating One Another When We Disagree, Being a Creative Thinker, Lies, No One Can Take Away What You Know...

Taste - "I Do Honestly Believe That Most People Are Genuinely Good Before The World Gets Its Hooks In Them..." A Wonderful Conversation with Writer, Director, Professor, Baker & Candlestickmaker - Kitty Belle Burbank. Kitty Belle talks with us from her place in the West Side. We Discuss: Starting the Year in Costa Rica, Walking the Dog, Borders Being Open, Philadelphia's President House Slavery Placards, Eco-Tourism, a Surfing Coach From South Africa, Living a Good Life, Civilization Killing Our Souls, Technology that We Are Stuck With, Being SteamPunk & Irionic, Reading Scripts, Oscar Nominees, Selling a Narrative that Isn't True, Grocery Bills, Apathy, Wholeness Herds These Cats, Having Faith in People...

Taste - "There Was a Weird Sort of Thing That Happened Around That Time... A Lot of The Sort of Punk Music Community Got Very Dogmatic About What It Means to Be Punk..." A Grand Conversation with Acclaimed Musical Artist & Composer - Jonathan Segel. Jonathan talks with us from his place in Stockholm, Sweden. We Discuss: Early Years in California, Going to the Record Store With His Father, Playing Piano & Guitar, Hearing Pop Goes the Weasel on Violin, Bowing Techniques, Prague Punk, Burnt Toast, Connecting With Camper Van Beethoven in Santa Cruz, Studying Music, Ethnic Musical Tropes, Ska & Balkan Music, Performing at Sluggo's Pizza, Punk Rock, Hanging Out at a Bookstore in Tucson, the Making of "Take the Skinheads Bowling," Moving to Sweden, Greenland, Larry's Corner in Stockholm, Sweden, Billionaires, the Value of the Hard Science & the Arts, His Upcoming Tour in Finland, Doing Good Things. Jonathan Performs a New Tune Titled - "The World Still Burns."

Taste - "It's Not Him... It's a Reflection of Where We Are Now." A Poignant Conversation with British Indo-American Poet, Visual Artist & Educator - Rhony Bhopla. Rhony talks with us from her place in Sacramento, California. We Discuss: Not Taking Pleasure From Hatred and Jealousy, Being a Granddaughter of a War Zone, Harming Others Out of Duty, How Easily the Imagination Can Be Swayed, the Worldview of 5 and 6 Year Olds, Feeling Empowered, Asking Why, Renee Nicole Good, Being a Poet, Passion & Empathy, Facism Being Here, Being Forgiven, the Impression One Leaves, Reflecting on the Good of Others, Wanting Peace, What the Shape of Resistance Is, What the Poet Does in Times Like These, the Government Taking Over the Creative Spheres... Rhony shares an Original Poem Titled - "Hollow."

Taste - "Think of the Songs They Wrote in their 20s... I Mean, They were Prophets. How Did They Know So Much?" A Wonderful Conversation with Grammy Award Winning Songwriter & Musical Artist - Julie Gold. Julie talks with us from her place in Manhattan. We Discuss: Youthfulness, Her Working Class Roots in Philadelphia, a Happy Childhood, Honoring the Love She Was Given, the Piano as Her Magic Carpet, Ancestors Coming to the U.S. for Religious Freedom, Seeing the Statue of Liberty Everyday, Writing Poetry, Living in New York, Being a Secretary at HBO, the Day Her Piano Arrived, Fishing in a Humble Pond, Her Friends Nanci Griffith & Christine Lavin, Going Up and Down the Mountain, Nyc Being a Magical Kingdom, Her Songwriting Approach, the Creation of Her Grammy Award-Winning Song titled - "From a Distance..." Julie Performs (acapella) a Verse from a New Piece Titled - "The Feeling."

Taste - "Just Being Quiet And Looking Directly At The Person And Letting Whatever They Said Hang In The Air..." A philosophical conversation with Homesteader, Sensei, Winemaker, and Our Reluctant Resident Philosopher - Almighty Todd. The Almighty talks with us from his place in Central Vermont. We Discuss: Maple Bourbon Manhattans, Sleigh Riding, Being Farm Fit, the Dojo, Moving Meditation, Awakening the Awareness Senses, Descartes, the Gorilla and the Bouncing Ball, How You Know Where You Are, Wine From Grapes, Constant Reflection, Interoception, the Negativity Bias, Rigid Thinkers & Open Thinkers, Qi Gong, Manual Labor, Having Winter to Slow Down & Pause, Taking Stock of One's Life, Stimulating the Vegas Nerve, Waiting for a Third Option...

Taste - "We Celebrate the Work, Artistry, Humanity and Love of Two Men Who Are Soul Brothers of Mine and of This Radio Program..." Episode 654 features the first four Uncle Cesare Essays written and read by our longtime Associate Producer & Resident Essayist Dr. Michael Pavese. It also features the first three installments of the Lonesome Cowboy radio-play series written by Dr. Pavese and performed by Actor Extraordinaire Dominick Azzarelli.

Taste - "Forget About The Man Behind The Curtain, They Just Got Rid Of The Curtain..." A wonderful conversation with Writer, Director, Professor, Baker & Candlestickmaker – Kitty Belle Burbank. Kitty Belle talks with us from her place in the West Side. We Discuss: Making Perogies, Buddhism, Good Bonding, How Time Teaches Us, Making Things Good Enough, Behind the Curtain, Her Trip to County Mayo, the Atlantic Wild Coast, the Peat in the Bog, Where the Fences Are Stone, Basic Income for Artists in Ireland, Six Rainbows, Civility, Manners & Etiquette, Robot Servants, Classism, Being Better People, Reimaging Angels...

Taste - "We're Humans... We're All Somehow Living Through The Same Thing. " A great conversation with Musical Artist – The Ajjancy. The Ajjancy talks with us from his place in New Jersey. We Discuss: His Early Years, Taking Piano Lessons, Being in Your 40s and Deciding to Be a Rock Star, Everybody's Unique Voice, Love Songs for Your Children, Being a Spin Doctor, Good Role Models, His Grandparents, Jon Anderson of Yes, Celebrating Christmas in a War Zone, First World Problems, Love Being the Answer...

Taste - "It Was Beautiful To See How Different Organizers, Artists & Activists Were Reclaiming The Opportunity To Advocate For Systems Change Through The Means of Culture and Art..." A wonderful conversation with Sound Artist, Documentarist, Imagination Activist & Our Resident Anthropologist – Louise Romain. Louise talks with us from her place in Southwest England. We Discuss: Climate Change, Brazil’s Amazon, Multilateralism, Biodiversity, Talking Outside of the Technical, Petro States, Music, Dance & Multiculturalism, How Art & Stories Move Us, Our Addiction & Dependence on Fossil Fuels, 194 Countries Coming Together, the Power of Civil Society, the Connection Between Militarism & Climate Change, Outrage & Optimism, Intergenerational Discourse, Mushrooms... and she shares an original written work titled, “Parenting in the Anthropocene.”

Taste - "I Got Drawn To The Vibration. I Just Loved It..." A grand conversation with Soul, Blues, Roots Rock Singer, Songwriter & Guitarist – Kara Grainger. Kara talks with us from her place in Nashville, Tennessee. We Discuss: Growing Up In Sydney, Australia, Papa Lips With Her Brother Mitch, Touring the World, Her Dog Waylon, the Music Community in Nashville, Music Being Healing, Some Realizations In Her Life, Happiness Doing What You Love, Goals, Having An Australian Outlook, the Lucky Country, Encouragement for the Arts in the U.S., Letting the Melody Guide Her, Playing with Really Talented People, Her New Album - "That’s How I Got To Memphis", Producer Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell, Ann Peebles, Royal Studios in Memphis, Creating One's Own Time & Destiny, Loving Freedom...

Taste - "We Have To Wake Up As A People. We Shouldn't Even Be In This Situation..." A raucous conversation with Ax Aficionado, Fiddle Player, Educator & Our Resident Historian – Serf William. The Serf talks with us from his place somewhere in Bucks County. We Discuss: The Shutdown's Implications, Negotiations, Teachers, One Hand Tied Behind Our Backs, American People Looking at Themselves in the Mirror, Racism & Misogyny, Farmers in Missouri, Consolidating Power at Any Cost, Fascist or Not a Fascist, Getting Engaged And Staying Engaged, Strong Men, Democracy in a Vacuum, Critical Thinking, Willful Ignorance, How The Fight Never Ends...

Taste - "Their Parties...That Was My Television. We Didn't Have Television." A wonderful conversation with Writer, Cultural Impresario, Artist, Activist – Kimberly Crafton. Kimberly talks with us from her place in Northeastern Pennsylvania. We Discuss: Her Journey, Seeing the World as a Kid, Always Having Music Around, Living In a Campground, Bikers Being Her Protectors, Watching the Natural World, Divorce, Back to the Land, Endless Mountains, a Fascination with Women's Hands, Figuring Out What You Want to Do, Connecting People, the Validity of People's Experiences, Traveling, the Many Phases of a Coup, the Other, Symbiosis, Bravery, People Who Inspire...

Taste - "I'll Channel You As I Hurl Invectives At My New Neighbors..." A grand conversation with our Resident Urban Hiker– Travis Ignatowski. Travis talks with us from his place in Philadelphia. We Discuss: More Azz Stories, the Rub a Dub Pub, Generation X, Old Stomping Grounds, Riding Bikes, How Things Change, Condos in Mount Airy, Being a Curmudgeons, Jane Jacobs, Malls, Old Facades, 25 Cents for a Hotdog & a Beer, Drinking In The Woods, a Film Called Wanda, On the Waterfront, ICE, Communities Pushing Back, Columbus, Ohio, Wheeling West Virginia, Birds of Prey, Jello Shots...

Taste - "…It's Seizing Opportunities When They Arise..." A wonderful conversation with Founder & Former Executive Director of the NEPA Youth Shelter, Educator – Maureen Maher-Gray. Maureen talks with us from her new digs in the great state of California. We Discuss: Her Trip Across the U.S., the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Little Bighorn, the Sturgis Motorcycle Festival, the Crazy Horse Monument, Her Kitty Cats Michael & Dwight, Opportunities, Route 101, Mt. Shasta, Seeing Wildfires, Not Realizing the Impact You Have on People, Housing LGBTQ People, Meals on Wheels, Self-Sustaining Communities, Being a Class Clown to Cover Up Trauma, Social Justice, Taking Naps...

Taste - "It Was A Cool Conversation At The Time Because We Were Both Kinda Loaded..." A great conversation with Writer, Satirist, Social Critic and Baseball Fan " Bruno Milo. Bruno talks with us from his place near the Hill. We Discuss: Azz Being a Fun Loving Guy, Talkin About Religion, a Concert in Philly, His Dad Going to Church, a Baby That Looked Like John Madden, Mortality, Close Calls, Paul Simon in NYC, Drinking Tequila, MLB Playoffs, Johnny Unitas Putting in Linoleum Floors for Some Extra Cash, Baseball As A Leisurely Sport, Later Days...