The Coffee Hour
By Adam Venrick
The Coffee HourMay 03, 2020
411. Two Words: Excuuuuse Me, Princess
This week, Adam sits down with musician and video game designer Malcolm McDonough. The two talk about Malcolm's music, the game he's designing and the glories of 90s video-game-based television. Plus, one of Malcolm's original songs: "Beacon of Hope." All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
410. The Broom Closet Variation
This week's episode deals with Chess! Adam interviews chess aficionado and history student Camron Alten-Dunkle about the origins of chess, the popularity of chess post-Queen's Gambit, Soviet Chess and the complicated legacy of Bobby Fischer.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
409. Bucephalus: The Cult Saga
This week, on The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with Denison student Jeff Stevens to discuss Cult Game, the video game that Jeff is designing about... you guessed it... cults. The two discuss what it takes to design a game, how the game came to be and what Jeff's plans are for the game and his LLC.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
408. Radio Chicago
This week on the Doobie, Adam sits down with Patrick Fina from the Community Leadership and Involvement Center (CLIC) to discuss campus organizations and Patrick's work on the Doobie in a behind the scenes episode. Through this, they discuss Patrick's background with campus radio in Chicago and what makes campus orgs succeed or fail.
Note: In the recording process, some error occurred causing Adam's voice to sound slightly distorted. Patrick's vocals are, for the most part, untouched by this error and the interview still plays as it should.
407. A Story of the Hill
406. Smoking With an Oxygen Tank
In this episode of The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with Denison Cinema Professor Sabrina Renkar to discuss Don't Fence Me In, the film she is making with her mother, documentarian Mary Elaine Evans, the story two young women who rode cross country on horseback on a dare.
The two discuss the popularity of documentaries, the fluctuating popularity of various genres and how young filmmakers might revamp older films, as well as the just-announced Oscar noms.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
405. In a Sedimental Mood
This week's episode is all about ROCKS. Or rather, Sediment. Or rather, the sedimentological research being done in Louisiana's Bonnet-Carré Spillway. Adam sits down with Denison Geo-Science student, Laura Lapham to discuss the multi-university research being done on the spillway, what learning about its sediment could tell us about the health of the region, how the Mississippi delta is slowly sinking and how climate change has impacted flooding near the spillway.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
404. Taking A Minute
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
403. The Good, The Bad and the Automated
This week, on The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Klainot-Hess, a professor of Sociology at Denison University and OSU to discuss labor stratification in modern America. They talk about "good" and "bad" jobs, how the gap between them is getting smaller and smaller, how automation has uprooted certain jobs, the rise of casualized labor how work might be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
402. Everyone and Their Aunt
Adam sits down with Denison alum Ethan McAtee ('20) to discuss Ethan's upcoming novel The Stolen Stone, as well Ethan's early film, on which it's based. Along the way, they cover the democratization of art, working under COVID and how our brains change in college.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
401. The Joyful Comedies of Ingmar Bergman
On this week's episode, Adam interviews Denison student Lucy Sullivan, founder of the film instagram @filmbysully. The two discuss influential film makers, religion and psychology in film, Lucy's own screenwriting and the deadly friendship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. All this and more on the Season 4 premier of The Coffee Hour.
Genrecast, Episode 4; Movie Soundtracks
Adam, William and Josh talk about the best film soundtracks.
Way Back When
Adam and Josh (now Seniors and therefore tired and elderly) reflect on things they wish they'd done as Freshmen.
Genrecast, Episode 3: Metamovies
This week on Genrecast, Adam and Josh focus on a very distinct and odd kind of film: Movies about Movies, a unique (and often polarizing) sort of film that occurs when Hollywood turns its cameras back on itself. They discuss the good (Sunset BLVD.), the bad (Hail, Caesar!) and the baffling (Inland Empire) as well as what do good and bad films in this genre seem to have in common. Hint: Bad metafilms are more sentimental.
Espresso Shot #2: Unprecendented
The period between November 3, 2020 and January 6, 2021 has marked one of the most fraught times in American politics. In the last days of the Trump administration, the pressure has been raised by claims of election fraud by the President, and possibly some actual election fraud committed by the President. All of this came boiling over on the 6th of January, 2021, as the Senate sat down to certify the 2020 election results, when armed protestors stormed the Capitol building.
Adam is joined again by Dr. Paul Djupe, of the Denison Political Science department, to discuss the past two months, the events of the capitol and what it may mean for Donald Trump, both the Republican and Democratic parties and the future of elections.
This interview was recorded at 1:00 PM EST on January 7th. As this is a developing story, details may have changed by the time you hear this.
Genrecast, Episode 2.5: "The Best Films of Our Lives (Pt. 2)"
Genrecast, Episode 2: "The Best Films of Our Lives (Pt.1)"
For New Year's, Adam, Josh and special guest star William Main (N. Main Street) review the best films of each year they've been alive.
Genrecast, Episode 1: Monster Movies
Venrick & Poe: The Unmistakable Taste of Whale Meat
Adam and Josh profile some weird animals... and some exotic eats.
311. Adam Calls a Stranger
On the final episode of this season, Adam sits down with Steve Feke (Denison class of 1969), the screenwriter behind the cult classic horror film When A Stranger Calls (1979) starring Carol Kane, Colleen Dewhurst and Charles Durning. The two talk about Steve's days at Denison, his starting out in Hollywood, and how to succeed in showbiz based on networking and bluffing.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
310. How This Whole Mess Plays Out
This week's episode is about the election. Adam talks with Dr. Paul Djupe, a political science professor at Denison University to talk about the 2020 election, how Donald Trump became a social media president, how evangelical voting has changed over the years, the frustrating future of the electoral college, what awaits Joe Biden over the next few days and weeks, the legal logistics of recounts and what will happen if Donald Trump refuses to concede.
Not to mention, what might be in store for us in 2024...
309. The Vaccine Episode
This week, on The Coffee Hour, Adam talks with biology professor, Dr. Lina Yoo, whose background is in the science of immunology. The two discuss the history of vaccines, the idea of herd immunity, health-care rationing during the COVID-19 pandemic and the anti-vaccine movement. All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
308. The Premature Burial
For Halloween, Adam takes on another classic by Edgar Allan Poe.
Talkin' About Ghosts (Venrick & Poe's Halloween Hit Parade #4)
In this episode, Adam and Josh talk about ghosts. First, they discuss Granville's own hotel attraction The Buxton Inn and Adam's own creepy experience with it and the various Licking County ghost towns, then, they talk about the Skunk Ape, Florid's answer to Big Foot. This is followed by a spirited discussion of the Spiritualism movement and its adherents, including painter Hilma af Klint. And finally, Josh shares his own personal ghost story and Josh and Adam talk about tarot, psychics and ouija boards.
307. Sticky Tabs
This week on The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, a professor researching the science of Epigenetics, a fascinating genetic and evolutionary study that suggests we may be more influenced by our ancestors than we think.
Legends of Ohio: All Hail the Frogman! (Venrick & Poe's Halloween Hit Parade #2)
On this episode, Adam & Josh talk about some of Ohio's many urban legends including an orphanage that may have never existed, a pirate's haunted painting, a haunted street in the middle of Columbus' most happening suburb and of course... the Loveland Frog. All this and more on Venrick & Poe's Halloween Hit Parade.
The Unparalleled Adventure of Ichabod Crane & Prof. Cushion (Venrick & Poe's Halloween Hit Parade #2)
306. Gruesome Entertainments
As Halloween draws closer, Adam sits down with Dr. Jonathan Walley, a professor of film at Denison University to talk about all things scary; the sociological origins and importance of horror movies, the cycles that they go through, what makes something "horror" and the uncanny. Plus, hear the professor's personal recommendations.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
Cabinet of Oddities (Venrick & Poe's Halloween Hit Parade #1)
Photos available at blog.doobieradio.com/
305. Unconscious Learning
Adam sits down with Denison Psychology Major, Zeenat Tabaku to talk about her research into the perception of race, gender and anger in the work space. Along the way, they talk about the problematic nature of television, whether or not Sigmund Freud should still be taught in schools and why the 2020 election came down to Biden and Trump. All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
304. The Chicken Story
303. Livin' That High/Low Life
In this episode of The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with singer/song-writer Aoife O'Donovan to promote her digital concert at Denison. Discussed in this episode are Aoife's origins as a musician, how COVID has disrupted the music industry, the importance of mask wearing and how to be political without writing political songs. All this and more on this episode of The Coffee Hour.
302. ...We All Fall Down
301. 20% Theatre, 80% Capitalism
Adam is joined once more by Imani Congdon, a poet and playwright who has recently graduated from Denison University and whose work So Full I Could Burst is being performed there at the end of September. The two have a conversation about the way that White American theatre often tends to erase Black joy, the way that large-scale, highly tourist based theatrical institutions tend to resort to telling the same story over and over again and the importance of giving young artists the spotlight.
214. A Doobie Love Story
This week, for the Season 2 finale, Adam sits down with Jeff Soltesz and Liesel Pollvogt, two alums of both Denison and the Doobie station who have been married for years. The two tell their story, from meeting in college and bonding over similar music taste, to dating long distance as both of them went abroad to their opinions on how to make a relationship work, as well as what they miss most about Denison and what they feel should be brought back from the 90s.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
213. Copper Handles
This week on The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with Jay Snyder the owner of SteamRoller Bagels, a small business in Granville, OH. The two discuss being a small business owner in the times of Coronavirus, the quarantine, mask rules, what philosophical takeaways people should have, the back-to-work protests, why people hoard, what people can do to support small businesses and Tiger King.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
212. Radio Granville
On this episode of The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with the head-honcho of The Doobie, herself: Rachel Weaver. Rachel discusses her leadership policies, how to be the bad guy when necessary her early life in Nashville (including what celebrities used to come to her swim practices), her introduction to radio (including her dream internship at her favorite station), the future of radio in the age of Spotify and Apple Music, how deal with being over committed, the reason Adam was hesitant to get Spotify and Rachel and Adam’s desert island albums (including the tape that melted into Rachel’s car.)
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
211. Such Sad Thinkers With Such Excellent Beards
This week on The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with Denison professor of Anthropology/Sociology Dr. Hosna Sheikholeslami. (Aka Dr. Sheik.) The two discuss the concept of Anomie (depression caused by extensive deregulation) and how it can be seen in the time of COVID-19. They discuss different government responses, ways to combat anomie and what could happen after the quarantine ends. Plus, what the Coronavirus teaches us about the thoroughly modernized, hyper-capitalist world we live in. And… the excellent beards of the fathers of sociology.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
4110. Dispatches From 2040
On this episode, in order to bring some humor to these Coronavirus-ridden times, Adam sits down with his friend Ethan McAtee and the two take you to 2040, where the Coffee Hour is now an intergalactic treasure in its 41st Season due to Adam’s purchasing of the FCC, both now have thriving movie careers.
Adam discusses his 3.5 EGOT wins, while Ethan discusses his journey as a director, how he survived the Coronavirus and what the next great threat to humanity will be. Also covered are all the sequels to hit movies that have sprung up since then, a history of the Denison University of the future (now the food court of the Republic of Easton Town Center), the early villain based on the Vanderbilt family and Jamie Lee Curtis.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
209. Adam & Christian Eat a Shoe
On this episode of The Coffee Hour, Adam continues his series on how students are surviving the Coronavirus by interviewing Christian Miller, a Denison senior and film student. The two talk about how film classes are going on during a period of remote learning, the duo’s Academy Award Ignored film about an agnostic fish, how to get in to older films and their quarantine film recs.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
208. Love in the Time of Corona
This week on The Coffee Hour, Adam begins his “off-air” series of profiles in the way that people are responding to COVID-19, by interviewing Adriana Culotta, a Denison senior who had the last fourth of her year uprooted by the virus. They discuss life back home, Adriana trying to plan for her career, Adriana’s French boyfriend (and his and Adriana’s continually thwarted attempts to go visit each other), how to keep your spirits up in this incredibly dark time and how to keep supporting small restaurants.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
207. If the Shoe Falls
This week on The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with Helen Thornton, a stage manager who has written a book on her craft. Throughout the show’s run, Adam has sat down with a lot of theatremakers, and yet stagecraft has remained up in the air.
Helen and Adam change that, going through Helen’s introduction to her love of theatre at a young age, her early inklings to stagecraft. They then get into a frank discussion about Adam’s problem with transitions before playing a “hypothetical game,” (in which a director (Adam) pitches several bad ideas to his stage manager (Helen).)
Finally, they discuss Helen’s evolution in her craft, throughout her time in college, what inspired her to write her book and what she hopes to get from it.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
206. Creating a Universe
This week on The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with Denison alum, writer and English teacher Sam Heyman. The two have a table read of a play that Sam wrote in college, (Adam plays God), then discuss the play, Sam’s experiences both before, during and after college and the importance of trying to carve a space for yourself. Then, Sam flips the script and interviews Adam about his experience growing up in a world dominated by technology and trying to find a way to keep your head above water in a society increasingly invested in joining.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
205. Feeling Alien
This week on The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with Camron Alten-Dunkle to discuss "Space Girl," by Mora V. Harris, the play Camron is directing through Denison Independent Theatre Association (DITA). The two talk about the play, but also about themes of alienation, isolation and joining things on college campuses, as well as Camron's fascination with space, his abandoned aspirations of becoming an astronaut and his theory about aliens.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
204. Reasons to Come Back
In this episode of The Coffee Hour, Adam begins part one of a series of “Alumni Profiles,” in which Adam will delve into the psychology of people who have recently graduated from college, discussing what their lives are like now, how they get by without mandated structure and the feeling of being a part of the working world.
In this episode, Adam sits down with Gabe Schenker, Denison Class of 2018, a former Theatre/Economics Double Major to Discuss Gabe’s life now working with the Louisville Soccer Club, why Economics might be more fun than it’s given credit for and more importantly, the urge to come back to college after you’ve left and the imposter syndrome that can be related to it.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
203. The Rooster Episode
This week on The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with Imani Congdon (whom some repeat listeners will remember as being a reader for The Poe Show episode) who is a Classics and English (Creative Writing) double major at Denison University.
The two discuss Imani’s field as a Hellenist, the often exclusive and problematic nature of classics as a field and how various myths have been co-opted by American culture. Plus, Imani’s favorite pot in the Met and which pieces of pop-culture she thinks do the most damage to the classics field.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
202. Let Them Eat Lunch
This week on The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with Sarah Schaff, Gregg Gassman & Shane Hoffman, three members of Team Vittles a central Ohio based food service organization, working to help feed underprivileged kids. The four discuss poverty, “Lunch Shaming,” the way that hunger impacts learning, the stigma around food-insecurity, hunger in higher-education and what is being done to help. All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
To see what Team Vittles is doing, you can visit their website: http://www.teamvittles.org/
For any follow up questions, contact Gregg at gregg@teamvittles.org
201. A Blue Stop Sign Outside Boulder, Colorado
On this week’s episode of The Coffee Hour, to kick off the new season, Adam sits down with Eleni Papaleonardos, a professor of theatre at Denison University and the artistic director of Columbus’ Available Light Theatre Company, to discuss the way humans communicate. They talk about Eleni’s Dyslexia, her status as a bi-lingual (Greek and English), dual-citizen (Greece and America) and an educator. Also discussed are the ways we communicate non-verbally, the way we communicate with our bodies and Eleni’s study of mime (taught by Marcel Marceau). The two also discuss the way American schools mishandle neurodiverse and students and students who don’t only speak English, as well as what it was like for Eleni to grow up the child of an immigrant family in small town, Ohio.
All this and more on the Coffee Hour.
For more information on Eleni's company, click the link below.
https://avltheatre.com
112. The Albinism Episode
In this episode of The Coffee Hour, Adam sits down with anthropology professor Dr. Jane Saffitz to discuss the persecution of people with albinism in Tanzania and the incredibly toxic and problematic Western narrative surrounding it. They talk about Anthropology’s role in human rights, how NGOs can both help and hurt their causes, the colonialist origins of the persecution and the role of Anthropology in the modern world.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.
111. Head of Terminations
In this episode, Adam presents a reading of a short story he wrote entitled “Head of Terminations.” In this satire of corporate politics, a group of highly unethical and spineless executives at a nameless company see an opportunity to enact their professional agenda with impunity when an employee brings her enthusiastic son to work with her for Take-Your-Child-to-School-Day. But things start to go awry when the boy gets too overzealous in his new position.
All this and more on The Coffee Hour.