Reckon Interview
The Reckon Interview is the home for the best stories about the South. Each week, National Murrow Award-winning host John Hammontree examines American culture through a Southern lens by speaking with authors, entertainers, artists, leaders and thinkers to better understand the most interesting region of America and learn how we can each craft our own narratives about the South.
76
André Holland on 'The Eddy,' how the South shap...
The Eddy's André Holland bought an historic theater in his hometown of Bessemer, Alabama in 2017. Holland joins the Reckon Interview to discuss parallels to his character in the new Netflix drama, how the steel community shaped him, the importance...
35 min
77
Alex McDaniel on what sports coverage looks lik...
Alex McDaniel, Deputy Editor of SBNation, discusses how the shutdown has impacted sports media, whether we'll see a football season in the fall, bourbon, Memphis, Texas and more.
46 min
78
James Beard-winner Frank Stitt on how Southern ...
In 2018, Frank Stitt's Highlands Bar & Grill was recognized as the most outstanding restaurant in America. Right now, its doors are shut because of the coronavirus pandemic like so many other restaurants around the country. How are chefs adapt...
32 min
79
Michael Harriot on why black Southern votes swu...
Michael Harriot is an award-winning senior writer for the Root and one of the most influential voices in the South today. Harriot is based in Birmingham, a place he’s called the Blackest City in America, but his impact is national. On the Reckon Interv...
45 min
80
Peggy Wallace Kennedy: Daughter of George Walla...
George Wallace is one of the most notorious politicians in American history. Today, his daughter, Peggy Wallace Kennedy, has dedicated her life to fighting for civil rights. She talks with the Reckon Interview about growing up with two governors for pa...
37 min
81
John Paul White on John Prine, Muscle Shoals an...
Musicians like John Paul White are trying to figure out their paths forward. He’s a Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the founder and co-owner of Single Lock Records, and a one-time member of the Civil Wars.But righ...
41 min
82
Reckon Interview: Season two
You can’t understand America without understanding the South. It’s the fastest growing, youngest and most-diverse part of the country. And Southerners are changing the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the food we eat, and the stories w...
0 min
83
Fawn Weaver on Nearest Green, the slave who tra...
In the 1850s, a young Jack Daniel learned the craft of distilling whiskey from a nearby slave named Nearest Green. For 150 years, the origin story of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey was mostly forgotten. Fawn Weaver, an author and entrepreneur, ha...
51 min
84
David French on conservative media, Never Trump...
David French is one of the preeminent conservative thinkers of the era. On the Reckon Interview, he chats with host John Hammontree about the Never Trump movement, the current state of conservative media and how the South has changed during his lifetime.
52 min
85
The Belle Curve on the state of women and polit...
Hosts of the Belle Curve podcast, Liz BeShears, Rachel Blackmon Bryars and Mary Scott Hunter join the Reckon Interview to discuss some of the issues Southern women face in today's political climate. Plus, they interview John for an inside look on ...
61 min
86
Bonus! The WellRED Comedy tour explains the South
On this week's episode of the Reckon Interview, comedians Trae Crowder, Corey Ryan Forrester and Drew Morgan start out by interviewing host John Hammontree about Reckon. It then turns into a free flowing conversation about Southern comedy, Souther...
47 min
87
Lyndsey Gilpin on the South's changing climate ...
Lyndsey Gilpin, founder and editor-in-chief of Southerly, joins the Reckon Interview to discuss covering environmental issues in the South, how a sense of place led her to return from the West to found a news outlet with Southern roots, and the changin...
44 min
88
BONUS: John Archibald and Amy Yurkanin on comin...
The hosts behind "Greek Gods," John Archibald and Amy Yurkanin, hop on the Reckon Interview to give our audience a preview of what's in store for seasons 3 and 4 of Reckon Radio. Archibald also gives listeners a hint on what to expect fr...
24 min
89
Margaret Renkl on grief and the nature of the S...
When Margaret Renkl lost her parents, she turned to the nature of her backyard and to writing to work through her grief. On this week's episode of the Reckon Interview, she discusses growing up in Alabama during turbulent times, her new book ...
41 min
90
Ryan Nanni on College Football, the South and t...
The Editor-in-Chief of the Banner Society joins the Reckon Interview to discuss the state of sports media, share stories of obsessive fandom and make his predictions for the season. And to make fun of Hugh Freeze and Tennessee.
37 min
91
Casey Cep on Harper Lee and true crime
Casey Cep, the bestselling author of "Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee," joins the Reckon Interview to shed light on unknown parts of Lee's life. We discuss true crime stories from the South, why the world s...
48 min
92
Bonus episode! Ike Morgan joins us Down in Alabama
On a special bonus episode of the Reckon Interview, we chat with Ike Morgan, host of Down in Alabama, a daily news podcast fills us in on whether Florida is the South, unsweet tea, country music and hicksploitation movies.
20 min
93
Sarah Parcak on space archaeology and the histo...
Dr. Sarah Parcak, a space archaeologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the 2016 winner of the TED Prize. She has a new book out called “Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past,” which highlights how she and her colleagues...
42 min
94
John T. Edge on Southern food
John T. Edge knows as much as anyone about Southern food. On this week's episode of the Reckon Interview, the founder of Southern Foodways Alliance makes some bold claims about BBQ, describes what makes a good bar (and why the hangovers are still ...
50 min
95
Bonus! Sidewalk Film Fest and Southern cinema
Sidewalk Film Festival features programmer, Corey Craft, drops by Corey Craft drops by to preview the 21st Sidewalk Film Festival and discuss the opening of the organization's new movie theater.
20 min
96
Sonequa Martin-Green on Star Trek, the Walking ...
Sonequa Martin-Green discusses the highs and lows of a career that's taken her from Russellville, Alabama, to the farthest reaches of the universe. She shares stories from her mom's cancer scares, her thoughts on being a black lead actress in...
51 min
97
Rev. William Barber on today's fight for civil ...
Rev. Dr. William Barber II has drawn comparisons to Martin Luther King Jr. for his efforts to build a multi-racial Poor People's Campaign. On this episode of the Reckon Interview, he outlines what politicians get wrong about the South and why the ...
44 min
98
Lee Bains III on Southern rock
Lee Bains III, front man of Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, discusses the new faces of Southern rock music. He dives into the assumptions fans make about "Southern" bands, how his Alabama upbringing shapes his music, and being tapped as on...
48 min
99
Helen Ellis on the "Southern Lady Code"
Best-selling author Helen Ellis explores how coded language affects the lives of women in the South, discusses her career high points and struggles, and describes how her appearance offers her an unexpected asset in high stakes poker.
36 min
100
Billy Reid on Southern fashion
Florence-based designer Billy Reid on creating clothes for James Bond and the Avengers, and throwing one of the South’s biggest parties.
48 min